Faithful Spirit
by Storywriter8897
Summary: I've always felt the Guardians needed another female apart from Tooth so I've incorporated a sixth Guardian, my OC, Mother Nature. This particular story is her origin story and how she came to be a Guardian. I hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Mother Nature**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

One day, it had been nearly eighteen years since she was born, her parents sent her into the woods to gather some herbs and berries. Her parents provided her with a large basket and told her not to return home until it was full. Smiling, Naturetta bid them farewell and skipped off into the woods. She had been walking for twenty minutes when she found a blueberry bush. Smiling again, she began to pick berries off of the bush. When the bush was all but picked clean, Naturetta continued to walk through the woods. She knew where all the best places were to pick berries and to find herbs were.

Checking to make sure she wasn't being watched, Naturetta deviated from the path and trekked off into the heart of the woods. Naturetta managed to fill up the basket and put some extra herbs in her apron pockets.

She was walking home when she stopped. Something didn't feel right. There was no noise. Normally when she got this close to home she could hear the birds singing the bugs buzzing. Children at play. Something. But now there was nothing. Naturetta picked up the hem of her dress and took off towards home. What she saw when she arrived at the edge of the forest made her stop. The air in her throat caught. Her heart plunged into her stomach and her stomach felt as though it were going to come out through her mouth. Naturetta dropped her basket and fell to her knees, her eyes not believing what they were seeing.

Everything was on fire. Every house was ablaze; _her_ house was ablaze. Naturetta scrambled to her feet and ran towards her house. She kicked the door open, and avoiding the falling pieces of timber, she ran around. "Mother! Father! Are you in here? Mother! Father! Where are you?" Naturetta ran into her parent's bedroom first and screamed out in horror. She saw their bodies pinned under a fallen piece of roofing, blackened beyond recognition. " _Mother! Father! No!_ "

She fell onto the floor, tears streaming out of her eyes. How did this happen? Who would do this? What could do this? Naturetta pulled herself off of the floor and fled from the burning building. She spared her village one more glance before walking away. She knew the woods and what awaited her in them more than most people.

Sobbing heavily, Naturetta wasn't paying the best attention to where she was going. She just wanted to get away from her burning home. She stumbled through the woods, tripping over roots and fallen branches. "Why? Why take my parents? Why, God?" Naturetta kept trekking through the woods.

After a few hours, night had finally fallen. Naturetta, tired, exhausted, and grief stricken, fell to the ground at her feet. Using her arms as a pillow, she fell into a long, dreamless sleep. Naturetta didn't wake until four hours later. It was still night but her reason for leaping up was a good one.

There was a bear looming over her. A very large bear.

Naturetta gasped quietly, slowly backing up. She scrambled away from the bear. It slowly followed after her. Naturetta knew if she wanted to survive then she couldn't move too quickly and she had to be as quiet as possible. The bear lowered its head and reached toward Naturetta who threw her hands up to protect her face. The bear leaned its forehead against Naturetta's palm. When it didn't try to bite her head off, Naturetta looked up to see the bear leaning against her. The bear laid down on the ground. Naturetta slowly put her hand down and crawled away, looking at the bear. She was slightly confused. The bear grunted, set its head down on the ground, and closed its eyes. Naturetta crawled next to its side and curled up against the bear. The bear grunted again but otherwise remained motionless. Naturetta sighed and slowly she felt her eyes shut. She needed sleep and since this bear bodyguard was here she might as well get some.

In the morning, Naturetta woke up when the sun hit her eyes. Stirring, she sat up and to her surprise the bear was still there. When Naturetta sat up, the bear stirred with her. "Well, thank you for not eating me. I very much appreciated that. But I must be on my way now. It's been real. Goodbye." Naturetta picked up her knapsack and headed off. After a moment, the bear got up and followed her. It walked up to Naturetta's side. Naturetta frowned. What was wrong with this bear? "Are you following me?" she asked it, petting it on the head. The bear just grunted and stood there. Naturetta shrugged. Oh well, if the bear wanted to follow her, what harm could it bring? The girl continued on her trek through the woods.

They had been walking for an hour when an arrow sailed a hair away from Naturetta's face. "Who's there?" Naturetta called, backing into the bear which rose a little, seemingly trying to protect her. Squinting into the dark forest, Naturetta gasped as three Native Americans stepped out into the light. "Who's there?" Naturetta asked again.

The middle Native spoke. "I am Ashwin. And this," he pointed to the man on the left, "Is Jacy. And he is," Ashwin pointed to the man on his right, "Waya. Who are you and why are you here?"

"I am Naturetta Lightwood. I did not mean to trespass. I am only here because my village was burned to the ground when I was away, foraging for berries and herbs. When I arrived home, everything was on fire. There were no survivors so I left."

"Who is your companion?" Ashwin inquired, denoting to the bear.

Naturetta spared the bear a quick glance, unsure of how to reply without sounding crazy. However, she did not want her three new companions to run out of patience and attempt to shoot her again so she quickly replied, "I don't know. Some bear. I met him last night and he hasn't let me be since."

"The Spirit Bear." Ashwin whispered, his eyes widening with recognition.

"What did you say?" asked Naturetta, squinting her eyes in confusion.

"You've been chosen. By the Spirit Bear. You must come with us immediately and consult with our elders." Ashwin informed her rather impatiently.

"What?" Naturetta began, taken aback. "After you just shot at me?"

"You are unharmed. I could have killed you yet I did not. Now please, we must make haste." Ashwin replied, waving her off. Jacy took Naturetta by the hand and guided her to their village.

Naturetta was told to wait with Jacy while Ashwin and Waya rounded up the elders and the Chief. Waya came out when they were ready and told Naturetta and Jacy to come in. As Naturetta walked in, the Spirit Bear followed her inside. As the bear walked in, everyone gasped. Naturetta remained in the entrance, afraid to step another inch inside.

"So the legends are true." one of the elders whispered, their eyes all trained on Naturetta.

"What legends?" Naturetta asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Our tribe has long worshiped the fabled Spirit Bear. Many centuries ago, the leader of our tribe, Ephraim White, went off into the woods. He never returned. At least not in the same way that he left. He came back in the form of a bear. Needless to say, as soon as he came back in the form of a bear and attempted to break into his own home, he was fired upon by our greatest warriors. But our warriors were no match for the power of the bear. The bear took control of Ephraim's mind and struck down the warriors. In mere minutes those who weren't dead were greatly injured. Then the bear spoke. 'I am the Chief, Ephraim White! I am the mightiest force you will ever meet! Respect me and your enemies will perish! Dishonor me and your tribe will be no more!' Needless to say, no one else attempted to destroy the bear. But one day the bear disappeared. No one knew where he went until now. But the Spirit Bear left a message before disappearing. He promised that one day he would guide us in battle and lead us to victory. You are the master of the Spirit Bear and will command our army."

Everyone in the tent except for Naturetta and the Spirit Bear cheered. "What? I know nothing about commanding an army. I'm not a fighter." she quietly whispered, her voice echoing throughout the tent.

The celebration stopped suddenly. "Sure you are. Why else would the Spirit Bear choose you then?" Ashwin asked.

"Why indeed. She was part of a white man's village. She is weak and not of this land. Why would the great and mighty Spirit Bear pick her when there are many girls of our own tribe to select from. What is so special about her?" questioned Waya cynically.

"Hey!" Naturetta said, offended. "I might not be one of you, but that's not my fault! It's not like I chose to have a bear follow me around. Everyone that I care about in the world died yesterday because they _burned to death_! And you expect me to forgot all of that because a 'magical' bear is following me around in order for me to command your army?"

Waya lept to his feet but Ashwin pushed him back down. "Jacy, let Naturetta Lightwood stay with you in your quarters for the night. We'll decide what to do with her tomorrow."

Jacy nodded once, took Naturetta's hand, and lead her towards his home. The Spirit Bear followed her inside. Naturetta looked around. It was a small room with minimal furniture. There were lots of hunting weapons, tools, animal skins, furs, and preserved pieces of meat. "Homey," Naturetta commented thoughtfully.

"You really should stay with us. You have nowhere else to go. We need you, Naturetta." Jacy confided in her, walking over to where she stood.

Whirling around to face him, she scoffed, "No, you need the bear, apparently. You clearly don't need me. After all, I'm a 'white girl not of this land.'" Clearly, Naturetta was hurt by Waya's words.

Slightly shaking his head, Jacy contradicted, "We _do_ need you. Without you, we lose the Spirit Bear. Without the Spirit Bear, we would lose everything."

"So you only need me because I have some form of control on the Spirit Bear. If I didn't control the Spirit Bear, then what?" Naturetta remarked, placing her hands on her hips to emphasize her point.

"We're not going to get rid of you, Naturetta." Jacy told her confidently.

Laughing lightly, Naturetta trilled, "Has anyone told Waya that? I think not."

"Don't mind Waya." Jacy instructed, waving his hand dismissively. "He's always had a problem with pride and temper."

"Obviously." Naturetta said with an eyeroll, making Jacy smile.

"Don't be so hard on him. He saw his older brother get shot a month ago." he quietly informed her.

At that, Naturetta gasped in surprise and placed a hand over her heart. "By who? An enemy tribe?"

With a slight shake of his head, Jacy replied, "It was a white man, actually. It was a hunting accident but Waya still hasn't gotten over it."

"Still doesn't make up for his vulgar behavior towards me." Naturetta grumbled, crossing her arms over his chest.

"Can't say I blame you. I wouldn't be too forgiving towards him, either." There was silence for a moment before Jacy said "I want to show you around. Come on. You can meet everyone."

Taking her hand, Jacy lead Naturetta out of his home and around the village. There were more people here than there were in her village. And everyone of them made sure to stop what they were doing so that they could witness the legendary Spirit Bear and his master.

Once back at Jacy's home, Jacy said, "You might want to change. There are clothes in the spare bedroom that you can wear. You already stick out. A little blending in wouldn't hurt. And let me know if you get hungry and I'll get you something to eat and drink." Jacy lead her to the spare bedroom.

Before he left Naturetta grabbed his hand and said, "Thank you, Jacy."

"You're welcome." he replied, shutting the door to give her some privacy.

Naturetta turned and saw a stack of clothes on the bed. She took one of the garments and held it out in front of her. It was a thin dress made of animal skins with an intricate pattern made using beads and feathers. Sighing, she set the dress down and took off everything, including her under garments because she had been provided with those too. Naturetta pulled the dress over head and knocked the creases out of it. Looking down at herself, she thought she looked sort of pretty in the outfit. Folding her outfit, she slid it into her knapsack before exiting the room and looking for Jacy. She found him shortly in the main room.

When he looked over at her, his mouth opened, forming the shape of an 'o'. "You look incredible."

"Thanks for the compliment, the clothes, and taking up for me. It must stink that you got stuck with me, doesn't it? I bet you'd rather be with your friends doing anything but this." Naturetta told him, feeling guilty for intruding into his life.

Reaching for her, Jacy ordered, "Don't say that. I think you are really nice company."

"Because I'm the Spirit Bear master." she finished for him.

"No, not just that, although it is an honor to stand in your presence." Jacy told her with a wry smile. "You are a really nice person. I find your company something to crave for."

Her eyes widening in surprise, she replied, "You haven't even known me for twenty four hours. You know nothing about me."

Shrugging nonchalantly, Jacy supplied, "I know what I need to know for the most part. You're a good hearted person. Most people would have cussed Waya out or tried to beat the snot out of him. You just stood there."

"Did you just call me weak?" she asked in a mocking tone.

"No, I called you selfless and kind. I would never call you weak." Jacy quickly told her.

Smiling slightly, Naturetta replied, "Well, thank you again. But it's not that big of a deal. Where I came from, it doesn't matter who you are. My family never engages in physical combat and words aren't meant to be used to hurt others. Curse words at my house were never used unless you wanted to be spanked."

"And I thought I had a harsh childhood." Jacy said with a shudder.

"What happened in your childhood?" Naturetta asked Jacy curiously. In response, Jacy shrugged his shirt off and showed his back to Naturetta. There were scars crisscrossing all over his back. Naturetta gingerly ran her fingertips across them. "Who did this to you?"

"My father. He was rather strict. Wanted all of his sons to turn into fierce warriors." he informed her, pulling his shirt back on.

"You have brothers?" Naturetta inquired.

Nodding, Jacy replied, "Yes. Ashwin is the eldest. There are two others, Atsaid and Mohe. They are the second and third born. Then there's me. The youngest."

"You're lucky. I was an only child. Having three brothers must have been nice."

"Not in this family. The eldest always ate first. The younger you were meant that you had to wait on more people to eat their fill before you got yours, even if you went to bed hungry. It was to show respect. Unless you were female. Then you got to eat first no matter what age you are. When I have children, I'm going to feed them each until they're stuffed."

Naturetta couldn't picture this. A younger version of Jacy sitting calmly as everyone else ate their fill, leaving bits and scraps that only he could be thankful for. Going to bed, hungry and tired. At her own house, Naturetta got to eat three full meals every day with her family. No one got second best because of their age. Everyone was treated as equals. Unless it came to alcohol. That she never got any of. Jacy with a family was easier to picture. He really was a sweet man. Any girl would be lucky to get him. He had a handsome face. A strong chin and jawline with high cheekbones and long eyelashes which framed light brown eyes that sparkled. His black hair fell down to his chin and his skin was a reddish brown color that was beautiful. Jacy caught Naturetta staring and snapped her out of it.

"Naturetta? Something the matter?" Jacy inquired, moving a stray lock of hair to tuck it behind her ear.

"What-no! Nothing's wrong. It's just hard for me to understand how my childhood sounds worse than yours." she confided in him.

"You got punished for cursing. That's terrible."

There was suddenly a knock on the door. Jacy went to go get it, leaving Naturetta and the Spirit Bear in the lounge. After a beat, Jacy turned to Naturetta and motioned her to come forward. "They're ready to see you again." he whispered to her. As they walked back towards the elders, Jacy intertwined his fingers with Naturetta's. She spared their hands one glance before continuing on towards the elder's tent.

"Naturetta Lightwood, you have been called upon by the elders one last time to answer one question. Will you or will you not use your command of the Spirit Bear to lead us in victory against our enemies in great conquest?"

Naturetta glanced over at Jacy who was biting down on his lip. When she looked at him, Jacy slightly nodded his head, telling her to say 'Yes.' Naturetta looked back at the Chief and held her head high. Looking him in the eye she nodded twice before saying "I will."

"Excellent!" he cried as everyone in the tent began to cheer. He turned to face Naturetta and held out a leather band with several feathers interlaced on it. Naturetta stepped forward so he could place the band on her head. As the Chief did so, he said "From this day forth, you will be known as Mother Nature, commander of Spirit Bear."

Naturetta smiled up at him as he pulled his arms back. "Thank you, Chief." Naturetta told him with a bow.

The Chief shook his head. "You will bow to no one, Mother Nature. People bow to you." and with that, everyone in the room bowed.

Naturetta watched this happen, flabbergasted. Just a few days ago she had been a simple colonist and now she was commander of an entire army. Smiling, Naturetta patted the bear's head as she soaked in the surrounding scene.

As she did so, Jacy walked up to her and hugged her around the waist. "Well, even Waya seems excited. Good answer."

"I only said yes because of you." she whispered.

"Me? Why?" Jacy inquired with a flattered smile.

"Because I don't feel like I could bare to part with you." Naturetta honestly told him with a genuine smile.

Smiling, Jacy said, "I told you, they wouldn't have kicked you out."

"You don't know that. And now they have no reason to." Naturetta said with a shrug.

"Naturetta Lightwood?" asked the Chief, suddenly interrupting their conversation.

"Yes?" she asked, her head whipping around to face him.

"How long before you think we can go out into battle?" he asked bluntly.

"Well, I have absolutely no idea what happens in battle. Maybe someone could train me to make me feel more prepared." she honestly told him.

"So be it. What would you recommend?"

"Someone who could teach me the basics. Enough to stay alive."

"Jacy, you know enough about our ways of war. You could teach Naturetta Lightwood the ways of a Cherokee battle and then we can go vanquish our enemies." the Chief commanded.

"Very well, Chief. Come on, Naturetta. We've much to do." and Jacy took Naturetta away from the Chief and elders who were still very excited.

* * *

 **AN: So that's my first chapter! I hope you lot enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: War Plans**

I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

"The first thing you need to know about the art of war is how to keep yourself alive. You need a weapon. Let's see. Spear, no. Tomahawk, no. Battle hammer, no. Blowgun, no. Arrowhead, no. Bow and arrows, yes!" Jacy said, excitedly handing the two objects to Naturetta. "This seems most like you. Graceful, slim, nimble, and quick. You don't need brute strength to fire one of these. Or to be really close to your target. You just need to have really good aim and a really good eye. Have you ever fired one before?"

"No," Naturetta replied, eyeing the contraption warily.

"Well don't worry. It's easy." Jacy said, showing her how to properly string the arrow, take aim, and fire. He shot at a makeshift target and hit it in the center. Then Jacy handed Naturetta the bow.

Naturetta reached back, grabbed an arrow, strung it with some difficulty but refused help, and took careful aim. She released the arrow which sailed through the air and hit the edge of the target.

"Not bad for your first shot. Keep trying until you hit the center." Jacy encouraged. Several dozen attempts later and Naturetta finally hit the center of the target, causing her to jump up and down for joy. Jacy patted her on the back. "Good job. Now try it again."

Because the center was so large, Naturetta was able to take careful aim and fire another arrow at the center. It was a direct hit. "Nice. If you can do that with every arrow you have left in a row, then we'll call it a day." Jacy removed the two arrows and held them.

Naturetta fired two arrows at a time. They would hit the center and Jacy would remove them. Once her sheath was empty, Jacy put the arrows back in and they walked back to Jacy's home for the evening.

Jacy escorted Naturetta to her room and was about to enter his own when Naturetta threw her arms around his neck. "Jacy, stay with me tonight." Jacy looked at her, shocked. "Please?" she begged, giving him a lip pout.

Jacy can't resist. "Oh, okay." He scooped her up into his arms which made her laugh. Jacy carried Naturetta to her bed and laid her down before lying next to her.

The Spirit Bear pats a small part of the floor down with his paw, testing it, before lying down himself. Naturetta kisses Jacy on the cheek before going to sleep. Jacy stayed up much longer after her, thinking about the day. He loved Naturetta even though they barely knew each other because Jacy felt as though he knew everything there was to know about Naturetta. She was so sweet and loving and intelligent and strong-willed. She stood up to Waya without a trace of fear. She had survived her parent's death. Naturetta was meant to lead the great Spirit Bear and their tribe in glorious conquest. He just knew it. Smiling, Jacy leaned down and kissed the sleeping Naturetta on her cheek. Then he nodded off to sleep.

* * *

A week later and Naturetta had two things going for her. Most important battle wise, she had become a master of the woods and the bow and arrow. She could fire at anything with the same speed and accuracy as the tribe's greatest archers. The other, which mattered even more than battle tactics, her and Jacy had fallen in love with each other. As soon as she had woken up the first morning when they had slept together, Naturetta had woken to discover Jacy's arms had wrapped around her in sleep.

When Jacy woke to see her awake and giving him a questioning stare, he blushed, didn't let go, just blushed. "I think I love you, Naturetta." was all he said.

Naturetta's face broke into a smile and she kissed Jacy on the lips before replying, "I think I love you, too, Jacy." and then they kissed again, this time more passionately. After that, they knew that they really loved each other.

So a week later as Naturetta needed less practice with the bow, she was able to spend more time with Jacy. Before dusk, they went a little ways away from the village to go swimming in a stream. Jacy took his shirt off and jumped in. Naturetta took everything except her undergarments off and followed. The Spirit Bear did not follow. He just stood there, guarding over Naturetta. Naturetta came up for air and looked around for Jacy when he grabbed her from behind, spun her around, and kissed her on the lips. Naturetta wrapped her legs around his waist and knotted her fingers in his hair, pulling his mouth closer to her own.

When they broke apart, Naturetta smiled against Jacy's mouth and whispered, "I love you, Jacy."

"I love you more, Naturetta," he replied, smiling lovingly down at her.

They lean their foreheads against each other when the Spirit Bear suddenly leaped to his paws and looked at the village. Then he turned and looked at Naturetta. "Something's wrong." Naturetta murmured, letting go of Jacy and scrambling out of the water. She quickly pulled on her clothes, Jacy right behind her. "C'mon! Let's go!" Naturetta said, running towards the village.

When she arrived there, she gasped. There were five members of an enemy tribe in bonds, being lead towards the elders. When they saw Naturetta and Jacy they called for them to join them. "Found these five sneaking around the edge of the village. What were you doing, huh?"

Waya snarled at them.

"None of your business." smirked one of the five.

Waya's face turned red and was about to do something drastic when Naturetta stepped in. She walked up to the five trespassers and smiled. But her smile was off. There was something scary in it. It made each man gulp.

"Since when are the Cherokee friends with white men?" one of them asked, moving past Naturetta to address the warriors that had captured him.

"Since when do you care?" Jacy asks, coming up from behind Naturetta before imploring, "Our tribes were once friends but you caused the bitter rivalry we have today. Can we not make peace?"

Perking up, another trespasser says, "That's why we came here, actually."

"To make peace?" Waya inquired then, confused at the thought.

"No, our elders have decided to go to war against your tribe in a week's time. Our land has been over poached by the white men. We have no resources. No food. Your lands are still rich in both. We are needy and desperate. We will take what should be rightfully ours. The Cherokee will bow before us." one of the trespassers replies airily as though it were obvious.

Waya snarled at that. The Chief glanced at him before turning to their five prisoners. "You go back and tell your Chief that we'll be ready. And you will not win." The Chief snapped his fingers and the five prisoners were escorted away. When they were gone, the Chief turned to Naturetta. "Will you be ready in a week?"

Smiling confidently, Naturetta replies, "A week? I'm ready now."

"Good, good. I'm so glad you came to us when you did, Naturetta because this war was inevitable. But with you and the Spirit Bear fighting on our side, we cannot lose. That will be all."

* * *

Naturetta, Spirit Bear, and Jacy left the tent and headed towards Jacy's home. When they got home, Jacy and Naturetta laid next to each other on the bed.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jacy asked her with a worried look coloring his complexion

Quirking an eyebrow in humor, Naturetta inquires, "Do what? Go to battle? Only if you'll be there with me."

Jacy took Naturetta's hands in his own and told her, "Of course I will be."

"Well then yes, I'm very sure." and they began to kiss. Naturetta wrapped her legs around Jacy's waist, knotted her fingers in his silky black hair, and pulled his head closer to her own. Jacy wrapped his arms around Naturetta's waist, pulling her body closer to his own. Jacy begins to pull his lips away from Naturetta's and began to plant kisses on her neck. She moaned quietly, getting the Spirit Bear to sit up and look at her with concern. "It's fine. Relax," she said in a soothing voice. The Spirit Bear shut its eyes again and laid back down. Naturetta went back to kissing Jacy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Have a Little Faith**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

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A week had passed and Naturetta was being prepared for war. Jacy was giving her a prewar pep talk. "Remember, breath in, aim, breath out, fire. It's that simple. If you remember to do that then no one can even come close to you without getting shot. That and you have the Spirit Bear to protect you."

Shaking her head slightly, Naturetta contradicted, "He won't just be protecting me. He'll be protecting everyone, though mostly you."

"I love you, Naturetta," Jacy replied suddenly, smiling down at her.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Naturetta replies, "I love you, too, Jacy."

They were just about to kiss when Ashwin walked in. "Naturetta, are you ready?" he asks, oblivious to the moment he had just interrupted.

"Yes," she replies simply, untangling herself from Jacy.

"Then let's go. We're off to war."

* * *

Jacy took Naturetta's hand and lead the way to the battlefield. There they met the enemy tribe. The Chief stood at the head of his army. Naturetta and Jacy were right behind him, the Spirit Bear behind them. "It is not too late to turn around and go home while you still can. We don't want to hurt anyone but if you do not stand down every member of your tribe will be killed with no mercy." the Chief called down at the enemy threateningly.

"Hahaha! You wipe us out? Is this some sort of, of joke? Is very funny but not true. We will fight!" their enemies shouted back at them.

"Very well." the Chief sighed in grief. "It's your funeral. Naturetta?" Naturetta nodded, took a few steps forward, and strung an arrow.

"Wow! That's your first line of defense? A white girl child? How could _she_ possible harm us?" The Chief of the enemy laughed at his own joke.

Naturetta aimed at the man standing next to him. He was strong, muscular, very broad in the shoulders. She shot; he fell to the ground, dead. Every one of the enemies gasped, not having seen that coming.

"Attack!" the Chief of Naturetta's tribe yelled, taking advantage of their surprise. The archers shot their arrows while everyone else took off. Once the battle commenced, the Spirit

Bear's eyes turned a fiery gold color. He snarled loudly and then began to pounce on his victims, tearing them apart, limb from limb. Their screams of agony were short lived. Jacy stayed with Naturetta to protect her. She was the only girl on the battlefield and was probably a very likely target for many of the enemy's archers. Naturetta was a wiz with the bow. She was shooting it extremely fast with deadly accuracy. And Jacy was correct. She was being targeted.

When Jacy was busy with his own opponent, the Chief from the enemy tribe snuck up from behind Naturetta. Before she could turn around and shoot him, he had his hand around her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Drawing her body closer to his, the Chief laughed as he stabbed her repeatedly in the stomach with an arrowhead. As Naturetta was being struck, the Spirit Bear stood up and ran towards the Chief, teeth bared. Laughing cruelly, the Chief uncovered her mouth just to hear her scream.

At the sound of the scream, Jacy turned in horror. " _NO!_ " he screamed in disbelief. Then suddenly he took off towards the Chief. Jacy jumped into the air, lifted his arm up, and then smashed the spear into the Chief's stomach, pinning him to the ground. Jacy was about to stab him again when he saw Spirit Bear running very quickly towards him. Jacy gave the bear a look that read 'He's all yours.' Jacy then turned towards Naturetta and fell to the ground. He pulled her into his lap and held her tightly. His hands uselessly fluttering around her, all he could cry was, "No, no, no, no, no, no!"

Naturetta picked up her hand and placed it against Jacy's face. "Jacy. It's going to be okay. You will win this battle. Spirit Bear will help you win the rest. I love you." Naturetta leaned forward and kissed Jacy.

Jacy kissed her back softly. "I love you, Naturetta. I can't lose you! You mean everything to me! I love you!"

"You won't lose me, Jacy. I will forever remain here." she tapped his chest where his heart was located. "Because I love you. And we'll meet again someday. Have a little faith."

"I love you, too, Nature-" Jacy began, but Naturetta didn't hear the rest because darkness closed in and everything was quiet. " _Naturetta?_ " Jacy pulled her against his chest and cried.

Spirit Bear ambled next to him and looked over at Naturetta. Then he lifted his head and growled furiously. In the next ten minutes, every member of the enemy's tribe was dead or dying. It was then that everyone else was told of Naturetta's death. Every Cherokee warrior bowed their heads and knelt down in respect to her. They stayed like this for a long time,

Jacy's screams and Spirit Bear's growls were the only sounds being made.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Rebirthed**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Mother Nature's eyes snapped open to the sound of rushing water. Looking around, she observed that she was in a canoe that was aimlessly floating downstream. Her heart racing and adrenaline pumping, she began to freak out. Where was she? What was she doing here? All she knew was that her name was Mother Nature because the Moon had told her so. But that was it. She couldn't remember how she came to be in the canoe or why she couldn't remember anything else.

Looking around the canoe for any sign of her purpose for being in the contraption Mother Nature found a bow and a sheath of arrows which she strapped to her back. They had to be hers so it only felt right to put them on her person. Now to get out of this canoe. The only downside was; she wasn't sure how she would manage such a feat. Her instinct told her to jump but the bank was a good thirty feet away on either side of her. Mother Nature sighed and stood up. The least she could do was attempt to jump and if she fell in the water, she would simply have to suck it up and swim for shore. She took a step forward and jumped.

Instead of falling a few seconds later, Mother Nature kept going on higher and higher into the air. "Whoa!" she cried, worrying about falling which she didn't. "Stop! Stop!" she was panicking. Then it happened. She just stopped rising and held still in the air. "What?" she looked around herself, orbiting in a circle. She had just jumped at least fifty feet in the air and then just stopped, frozen in midair. Then a thought hit her. How was she going to get down? As soon as she thought the word 'down' she began to fall. Mother Nature screamed as she neared the ground but when she was only a foot in the air, she stopped, turned right side up, and gently touched down. As soon as Mother Nature realized she wasn't going to go splat on the ground, she threw her arms up in the arm and cried for joy. "That was awesome!" She wanted to do it again. Jumping again, Mother Nature now knew what to do. When she was high enough, she mentally stopped before looking around.

It was then that she spotted a small village. Finally, maybe now someone could tell her where she was. She flew off in that direction, a little rocky, but manageable. She touched down on the ground and walked over to a couple of little boys playing lacrosse. "Hello! Um, could one of you tell me where I am?" However, the boys continued with their game, ignoring Mother Nature who shrugged and mused to herself, "Kids will be kids."

She walked around the village, looking for someone to inquire upon her location when she spotted a group of women coming in from the maize fields. Flitting over to them, she asks, "Hello! Could anyone tell me where I am?" The women walked right past her again ignoring her request. Mother Nature put her hands on her hips. "How rude." she murmured under her breath.

Turning around, Mother Nature saw a little girl running towards her. Smiling, Mother Nature knelt down and asked, "Hey, sweetie, can you tell me where I am?" The girl just kept on running and went right through Mother Nature. Mother Nature did a double take, feeling as though all the air had been knocked out of her.

More people started walking through Mother Nature as though she were made of air. "Hello? Hello? Can anyone hear me?" Mother Nature called, receiving no response. Mother Nature held up her hands and turned them around, inspecting them. "Am I invisible?" Mother Nature couldn't stand being in that village another second. She took off into the air, flying aimlessly around, wanting to be anywhere else but not knowing where to go.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: First Encounter**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Fifty years later we find Mother Nature. She seems much more comfortable than she did when we first saw her. She appears to be watching something from behind a bush. Then her eyes light up and she leaps out from behind the bush. Playful screams of joy can be heard as she tackles something to the ground. It's something big. And furry. Mother Nature laughs as the bear flips her over and playfully falls on top of her. Then it pretends to sleep. The bear is one of her many, many, many, many friends. Mother Nature has more friends than anyone else in the world. In fact, Mother Nature has more friends than there are people in the world because she is friends with all the plants and animals. It's her sacred duty to protect the plants and animals of the world.

Winter was ending and she was awakening the animals from hibernation. Bears were one of her favorites, especially the cubs. They were so tiny and fluffy and clumsy. Mother Nature loved to play with the baby bear cubs. Mother Nature picked up the cub and began to toss it into the air. The bear cub made a giggle-like noise. When he came back down, Mother Nature cradled the bear close to her chest and kissed its fuzzy little head. Then she gave the cub back to its mother and flew off, ready to wake up the next animal she saw. She flew up into the air doing flips, twirls, somersaults, and other graceful dance-like movements.

Mother Nature flew to a more populated area. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and children were outside playing. Mother Nature smiled, watching the children enjoy the beautiful weather she had provided. She was flying around, enjoying the light breeze she had created, when she saw a young girl, probably ten, reading a book. Mother Nature smiled, curious, and landed on a branch above the girl. She then hung upside down from the tree and stared at the book. It was Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. "Looks interesting. Is that a good book?" Mother Nature asked the girl getting no response. Instead, she just flicked her red hair over her shoulder before continuing to read with her bright green eyes. Mother Nature frowned, disappointed as usual. She hadn't had one child ever believe in her in her fifty years of being Mother Nature.

She began reading upside down to see what the book was all about when the girl's mother called out to her. "Rose! Rose, where are you?"

"Over here, mother!" the girl called, shutting the book and waving her hands around. At last, her mother finally saw her and made her way over, some children trailing her. Her mother pulled out a hat and jacket, wrapping Rose in them. "Mother!" Rose protested in an argumentative tone.

In a patronizing voice, Rose's mother snaps, "Don't you 'Mother' me young lady. If you want to read outside in December, fine, but you don't want Mother Nature to get you sick."

"Mother Nature? Who's that?" Rose asked with a scoff.

At that Mother Nature got offended. "Hey!" she snapped, doing a complicated flip and landing on the branch, feet first, ready to give Rose a piece of her mind.

Waving a dismissive hand, her mom replies, "Nobody, dearest, it's just an expression."

"Excuse me?" Mother Nature asked of everybody and nobody at the same time.

"Now give me that book because your friends are here to play with you." Rose's mother commanded, snatching the book out of her daughter's hand.

"Okay." Rose sighed, handing over her book before running towards her friends.

"Whose Mother Nature, huh?" Mother Nature muttered to herself before forming a snowball in her hand. She blew on it before throwing it with a skillful aim. It flew through the air before hitting Rose in the back of the head.

Suddenly Rose's eyes lit up and she searched for the thrower. "Who threw that?" Rose asked excitedly.

None of her friends said anything when suddenly, they were all being pelted by snowballs. Snow was everywhere and a giant fight then ensued. Everyone was having a ton of fun and Mother Nature created more and more snowballs for the children. In the midst of chaos, Rose tripped and fell. She hit her head really hard and knocked a tooth out. "Rose!" Everyone screamed her name in worry, even Mother Nature. She hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt.

Everyone waited with bated breath when Rose jumped up and said excitedly "My tooth came out!"

"You know what that means!" Peggy cheered.

"The Tooth Fairy!" Eliza said with a clap.

"And that means. . ." Angelica was about to say 'cash' when Fred and Alex said it before high-fiving each other.

"Boys," Sarah muttered with a groan. The children then began to go home, all excited about the Tooth Fairy.

"No." Mother Nature groaned, flying towards them and landing in front of the lot of them. "What about all the fun we just had?" she asked, expecting an answer. Instead, the children just walked on through her. Mother Nature felt her breath catch in the back of her throat at the feeling of someone walking through her. Frowning in frustration, she flew off.

* * *

Night was falling and Mother Nature knew what that meant. She flew around excitedly and as she flew around, Dream Sand started weaving its way through the town, giving children sweet dreams. Smiling happily, Mother Nature ran her hand through the golden sand and dolphins leaped from it. Mother Nature smiled before moving on. But suddenly the Dream Sand quit coming. Was the Sandman done already? That was fast, too fast. Even for the Sand Man. Mother Nature shrugged and continued flying.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Induction Ceremony**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Mother Nature hadn't taken a break in a while. It had been three, no four, weeks since she'd had any sleep and was feeling a little drained. She had built a small cottage in the Appalachian region of the United States. It was small but it was perfect for her. It felt very homey. Mother Nature curled up on her bed, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

When Mother Nature heard the sound of reindeer crashing through the woods she knew something was up. She snuck out her back door and climbed the tallest tree near her home, using her night vision to see what was up. When she saw North in his huge sleigh tearing up her forest she was confused. Thanksgiving was over, in fact, it was almost Christmas so what was North doing? When he was about to knock on her door Mother Nature decided that it was time to reveal herself.

Clearing her throat, she leaped from the tree and flew over to North, walking the last few feet. " _North?_ What are you doing here?"

"I've come to get you," North explains, creating more questions than answers for her.

Taken aback, she inquires curiously, "Get me? For what?"

Smirking mischievously, he simply replies, "You will see. I want you to find out in front of everyone. Come, come! We must leave now."

Mother Nature looked at his sleigh, then North, then the sleigh again. "But. . ." she had so much work to do, but on the other hand, none of the Guardians had ever visited her before, let alone personally ask her to accompany her to one of their places of residence. "Okay, let's go." Mother Nature leaped from the ground and landed in the sleigh.

North chuckled. "Everyone loves the sleigh," he said before climbing into the driver's seat. Taking the reins, North cracked them with a loud "Hyah!" and the reindeer were off.

Mother Nature smiled at the feeling of the wind whipping against her skin, her golden hair twisting in the wind. "This is so awesome!" she cried, making North laugh a little. She really was the embodiment of eighteen-year-old girls. Except she was seventy years old. North decided that they didn't need to take the shortcut. This was her first ride on the sleigh and she really was enjoying it.

When the sleigh touched down at the pole, Mother Nature ran a hand through her hair but it had remained perfect throughout the whole ride. North took her to his palace which was huge. "Whoa. I should really get out more." she murmured as North guided her over to where everyone else was.

Once there introductions were in order. Everyone seemed to know who she was and she already knew North so North denoted to Bunny and asked, "You know Bunny?" Bunny waved a hand at her, then went back to painting the egg in his hand. Mother Nature suddenly notices the mini tooth fairies hovering near her, staring and twittering.

"And the Tooth Fairy?" Before she can answer, she's gliding toward her.

"Hello, Mother Nature. I've heard a lot about you. And your teeth." Tooth says excitedly.

"My, my what?" stutters Mother Nature.

Tooth moves in way too closely. "Open up! Are they really as white as they say? Yes!" She lets out a gasp before saying more. "Oh, they really do sparkle like stars in the night sky." Several

swooning Mini Teeth flutter around a confused Mother Nature. Tooth collects herself and says, "Girls, pull yourselves together. Let's not disgrace the uniform."

"And Sandman." North turns and sees Sandy snoozing. "Sandy! Sandy! Wake up!" Sandy bolts up awake and steps up to Mother Nature, smiling.

Mother Nature looked at them and then sheepishly says, "Well, it's nice to meet you all, but what am I doing here, exactly?" The wisp of Dream Sand above Sandy's head morphs into a barrage of images. "That's not really helping. But thanks, anyway." Then she stands and speaks to the others. "Did I do something really bad to get you four together?" Mother Nature walks away from the group, looks at the rest of the room, then turns around. "Am I on the naughty list?" she suddenly inquires.

North laughs once before relying "On naughty list? Bah! No! On nice list you hold record!"

Blinking in confusion, she asks, "Then why am I here?"

"Good question," Bunny says with a small smile.

"How come? I tell you how come. Because now. . . you are Guardian!" he pauses once, drawing up some suspense. Off her confusion, Yetis light ceremonial torches with a _whoosh_. Elves leap from columns, unfurling homemade, celebratory banners as they descend.

Mother Nature looks confused as a few baby teeth try to present her with a necklace made of paper flowers. "What are you doing?" Mother Nature's voice is drowned out by the sounds of horns and drums.

"This is the best part!" North cries out. An elf marching band strikes up, marching into the room. Two yetis move Mother Nature on to a designated spot on the floor. Mother Nature looks down to find an elf pointing at her bare feet. The elf then directs her attention to two approaching elves, carrying a pair of ceremonial boots. Mother Nature's confusion escalates and she asks "Huh?" A Yeti hands North an old large book. North blows off the dust, opens it, and begins clearing his throat. Mother Nature clenches her jaw as she scans the room: The Mini Teeth continue to fawn, Sandy's smiling, Bunny looks very happy for her, and North looks on with pride.

Mother Nature suddenly slams her foot down, sending a blast of frost and wind across the room. The torches go out and everything stops. "This is all very flattering, but why? Why do you think I want to be a Guardian?"

North bursts out in laughter holding the book in his hands then stops and looks to Mother Nature, stone-faced. "Of course you do!" then North turns to the elves and says "Music!" The elves blare the trumpets again.

"Please, no music!" begs Mother Nature. The music peters out again. An elf throws his trumpet to the ground and storms off. North, displeased, glowers. "Look, this is all very nice, but ah. . .

it's a little extravagant. And it doesn't explain why this is happening."

Tooth took in a deep breath and said "Mother Nature. . . I don't think you understand what it is we do." Tooth swoops in and turns Mother Nature's attention to the massive globe behind her.

"Each of those lights is a child." Mother Nature looks up at the Globe, taking in the enormity of this.

North suddenly moves to Mother Nature's side. "A child who believes. And good or bad, naughty or nice, we protect them." There's a choking noise behind him and North turns and says, "Tooth. . . fingers out of mouth." We cut back to discover that Tooth is examining Mother Nature's teeth.

Tooth reluctantly removes her finger's from Mother Nature's mouth before telling him "Oh, sorry. They're beautiful."

Mother Nature moves away from the Globe and back toward the center of the room. North speaks up then. "Okay, no more wishy-washy! Grim is out there doing who knows what!"

Mother Nature scoffs and asks, "You mean the Grim Reaper?"

"Yes! When Grim threatens us, he threatens them as well," exclaimed North as he points to the lights on the globe.

"Okay well, before you drag me into this, maybe you should explain why you picked me out of everyone else. Surely there's someone more qualified than I? I mean, I can't do very much."

"Pick? You think we pick? No, you were chosen like we were all chosen. By Man in Moon." North snapped.

Mother Nature turns and looks to the group. She stares at them, dumbstruck, before asking "What?"

"Last night, Mother Nature. He chose you." Tooth informed her kindly.

"The Man in the Moon, he talks to you?" Mother Nature asked, curious now. Mother Nature looks up to the skylight, taking in the awesome sight of the moon as it shines down on Earth.

"You see, you can not say no. It is destiny." North tells her.

Mother Nature is still confused by the news. What does it mean? "But why, why wouldn't he tell me that himself?" Mother Nature asked then let out an exasperated exhale before continuing. "After seventy years this is his answer? Are you sure he meant me? Absolutely, positively, not a shadow of a doubt that the Man in the Moon meant for me to become a Guardian?" Mother

Nature asks, finding it hard to believe.

"Everyone of us saw it happen, mate. You were chosen." Tooth supplies earnestly.

"I just don't feel ready." Mother Nature sighed, running one hand up and down the opposite arm.

North smiled kindly and walked up to her. "Come. Walk with me. We clearly have much to discuss."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Big Four**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Mother Nature and North ride an elevator, bearing the resemblance of a Christmas ornament, down to the factory floor. She tells him, "It's nothing personal, North. What you all do, it's just, I don't know if I can do it."

"Man in Moon says you can do it. We will see!" North says with a chuckle. North storms through factory floor, Mother Nature trying to keep up. It is an amazing place. North charges ahead. North's factory is bustling with activity: Yetis are building toys, moving packages, while Elves are test piloting the various flying toys.

As Mother Nature walks behind North, surveying the factory, a duck toy suddenly flies over her head. Mother Nature ducks just in time and continues after North. "Whoa!" she says before saying, "I always thought the elves made the toys."

North leaned down and whispered, "We just let them believe that." Mother Nature looks over to see a group of elves eating Christmas ornaments and another electrocuting himself with Christmas lights. North smiles and calls to them. "Very nice! Keep up good work!" North continues through the factory floor. He passes a yeti putting the finishing touches on a blue toy robot. "I don't like it. Paint it red." North speaks to the yeti. The yeti reacts in dismay as we reveal hundreds of finished blue robots. "Step it up, everybody."

As North and Mother Nature move to the opposite end of the chamber, we finally glimpse the orchestrated chaos of the entire workshop, in all its magic and splendor. Mother Nature follows North into his office. There are shelves filled with toys. Sketches and prototypes everywhere. North dusts his hands and turns to Mother Nature. His sleeves are rolled. Mother Nature notices that on one of North's forearms is tattooed the word 'Naughty' and on the other, 'Nice'. North grabs a plate from a nearby elf. "Fruit cake?" North offers to her.

Mother Nature replies, "Ah, no, thank you."

North hurls it over his shoulder before pausing to look at her. "Now we get down to tacks of brass!"

To herself, Mother Nature mumbles quietly in a confused tone, "Tacks of brass?"

As North cracks his knuckles, Mother Nature stands silent. The wind suddenly slams North's office door behind them. She looks to the door, it locks itself, and she turns back. North moves in close to Mother Nature, backing her up against the door. "Who are you, Mother Nature? What is your center?" North pokes Mother Nature in the chest.

"My center?" she inquires with an arched brow, unsure of how to respond to that.

"If Man in Moon chose you to be a Guardian, you must have something very special inside." North stands up straight and begins to stroke his beard as he gives Mother Nature a curious look. "Hmm?" He ponders for a moment before moving so that he is standing in front of a shelf of Russian nesting dolls. One is carved to look like North himself. "Here. This is how you see me, no? Very big, intimidating. But if you get to know me a little. . ." he hands the doll to Mother Nature. "Well, go on."

Mother Nature gives North a curious look, then takes the doll. She twists the doll in half, and inside is another carved North doll, this one is a more typical Santa Claus, red-cheeked and cheery. "You are downright jolly." Mother Nature observes, smiling up at him.

"Ah, but not just jolly. . ." The dolls get progressively smaller as she twists them open, all versions of North, but all slightly different. "I am also mysterious." She turns the doll. "And fearless." Mother Nature turns the doll. "And caring. And at my center. . ." Twist.

As North approaches, Mother Nature looks down and drops the final Russian doll into the palm of North's hand. It's the size of a jelly bean. "There's a tiny wooden baby?" she asks in confusion, pushing her hair out of her face to better look at it.

"Look closer. What do you see?" North presses, hoping she gets the picture.

Mother Nature holds it up closer to her face to better examine it. "You have big eyes?"

"Yes! Big eyes. Very big. Because they are full! Of wonder! That is my center. It is what I was born with. Eyes that have always seen the wonder in everything!" North raises his hands, and the toys on the shelves suddenly spring to life. Jack-in-the-boxes pop, toy trains speed around the room, soldiers march about, toy planes fly overhead. An elf gets carried aloft by a balloon. A flying toy plane glides by and we follow it as it makes its way around the room. A Christmas tree is ablaze with bright lights. Two double doors suddenly open as the flying car enters the factory floor. "Eyes that see lights in the trees, and magic in the air!" As it crosses the frame, dozens of other toys are now flying around the massive chamber. It's a truly magical moment. North now stands outside his office, with Mother Nature at his side. "This wonder is what I put into the world, and what I protect in children. It is what makes me a Guardian. It is my center. What is yours?" North asked, his point having been made.

Mother Nature looks at him and says "I. . . I don't know." Mother Nature looks down into her open palm, the wooden baby stares back at her. North closes Mother Nature's hand. They exchange a look. "Thank you," she whispers, clutching the baby tightly.

A beat later Sandy and Bunny all run into North's workshop. "We've got a problem, mate. Trouble at Father Time's."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Father Time**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

North shoves open a set of double doors, followed closely by Bunny, Sandy, Tooth and Mother Nature. Several Yetis rush by as they prepare the hangar for launch. "Boys, ship shape. As soon as possible." North says to the yetis. Suddenly the sound of pounding hooves, beastly snorting are heard. North's incredible sleigh comes into view. It is a huge, shiny, tricked out, jaw-dropping hot-rod of a sled. The sleigh comes to a standstill as the Guardians prepare to climb inside. Several Yetis are still running around making last minute preparations. Sandy hops up into the back seat and the two girls climb in after him, sitting in front of him. North grabs the reins, wrapping them around his arms. He turns to see Bunnymund standing there, frozen and unnerved. "Bunny, what are you waiting for?"

"I think my tunnels might be faster, mate. And um, and safer." Bunny stutters, his ears flattened against his skull and his nose twitching nervously.

"Ah, get in." North hoists Bunnymund up and bodily throws him into the sleigh. "Buckle up!"

Bunny desperately looks around his seat. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, where are the bloody seatbelts?!"

"That was just expression!" North said with a laugh. North turns to one of the Yetis. "Are we ready?" The Yeti throws his hands up in a fit shaking his head no. "Good! Let's go! Clear!" He cracks his reigns and lets out a "Hyah!" The sleigh is off. Elves and yetis scatter out of its path. Sandy, Bunny, Tooth, and Mother Nature fly back into their seats. Bunny clutches the edge of his, terrified. She can't help but laugh at the sight. "Out of the way!" The sleigh heads down a luge-like track. North, Sandy, Tooth, and Mother Nature are enjoying the ride. "Hyah!" North cracks the reigns, the sleigh plummets, an almost vertical drop. Sandy grins calmly. Mother Nature grins wildly, a thrill rushes through her as the wind whips her hair everywhere.

Bunnymund was less excited. "Slow down, slow down!" he shouts desperately, his nails raking across the wooden surface.

North pulls a lever, kicking the sleigh into overdrive. He looks back as the sleigh enters a corkscrew. "I hope you like the loopty loops!"

Bunny, feeling a little nauseous, replies dryly, "I hope you like carrots."

Ignoring this, North cries eagerly, "Here we go!" There's a wide shot as the sleigh reaches the bottom of the ramp, and shoots upwards, launching them into bright blue sky. North, reins in hand, leans into the wind as the reindeer climb higher. "Hold on everyone, I know a shortcut."

Dry heaving, Bunny moans, "Oh strewth, I knew we should have taken the tunnels."

North holds a snow globe up to his face and whispers, "I say, Father Time's." An image of the Father Time's palace appears inside the snowglobe. North throws the globe into the air and a giant vortex opens. "Hyah!" A surreal light surrounds the sleigh as it hits hyperdrive and gets sucked through the snow-globe portal with a _whoosh_.

* * *

The sleigh suddenly comes out of hyperdrive at the outskirts of the Father Times. There are streaks of black rapidly approaching "What!?" North asked, surprised. Suddenly our heroes find themselves in the midst of mayhem, as hundreds of winged skeleton horses and terrified flying clocks jet past. It's like a meteor storm. North yanks the reins, and the sleigh veers sharply, dodging the oncoming skeletons.

Leaning over the sleigh to get a better look at the creatures, Mother Nature cries, "What are those?"

Sandy and Tooth duck the onslaught. "Whoa!" Bunny cries, ducking just in time.

Mother Nature now sees that the skeletons are actually gulping down the fleeing clocks and flying off with them. It's chaos. She looks at Tooth who seems to be thinking the same thing as her. "They're taking the clocks!" Mother Nature suddenly exclaimed. Mother Nature looks up to see a lone clock with a skeleton snapping at its heels. Mother Nature leaps into the air and rescues it before the skeleton can snatch it away. Mother Nature lands back in the sleigh. She opens her hand to reveal Baby Clock, who's shaking with fear. "Hey little Baby Clock, you okay?" Mother Nature asked the Baby Clock.

North steers the sleigh forward through the storm toward the entrance of Father Time's Palace. A vast chamber supported by pillars with clocks strewn across them reach from floor to ceiling. North spots a skeleton up ahead and hands Mother Nature the reigns. "Here, take over!" North says and Mother Nature looks dumbstruck.

"Huh?" Mother Nature, though surprised, quickly grabs the reigns and smiles as she snaps them. "Hyah!"

North readies his sword and slices the skeleton in half and shouts, "Yah!" Several clock boxes spill out of the split Nightmare and rain down into the sleigh at the Guardians' feet. The skeleton disintegrates into black sand.

"They're stealing the clocks!" Bunny observed. Sandy looks at his hands and sees the dust take shape and drift away. He and Bunny exchange a look. The Guardians turn, they're headed straight for a pillar.

North suddenly cried out, "Mother Nature, look out!"

She pulls the reins crying, "Aaaahhhh!" The sleigh nearly misses the pillar and skids to a rough stop on a platform. They see Father Time up above.

"Father! Are you alright?" North called out as he climbed up to his friend.

Father is flying around, visibly frustrated. This is bad. "They, they took my clock assistants! And the clocks! All of them! Everything is gone! Everything." Only then does it hit him. Father Time drops down to the ground in defeat. He's completely lost amidst the devastation The Guardians rush to comfort him. Mother Nature stays behind as Baby Clock pops out from behind her and flies over toward Father Time. "Oh thank goodness! One of you is alright!"

"Father, what happened?" North asked.

"They, they came out of nowhere. The skeleton horses just came in a massive horde and ate up everything! My clock fairies, and all the clocks! As of right now, time is frozen. What time is it, exactly? Oh my, what time is it?" Father Time began to panic as he jumped down and ran towards a giant clock. It read 2:47 pm. "Oh, this is bad. Very bad."

"What? Why?" Bunny asked, the Guardians finally catching up to him. "This is worse than bad because until I get my clocks back I won't be able to change the time which means until I get them back, time won't go on. As in it will be exactly 2:47 pm from this moment on until I get my clocks back. It will stay exactly the way it is. Whatever the weather is, it won't quit. Whether it's day or night, it will not change. We are stuck in whatever reality awaits us."

"This _is_ bad!" Tooth cried, the reality of their present situation dawning on her.

"Why?" Mother Nature asked, coming up from behind.

Whirling around, Tooth explains, "Mother Nature, don't you see? If it's always going to be daylight, none of us can do our jobs. If it's not night time, the children won't go to sleep which means that my fairies and I can't collect teeth, Sandy can't create dreams, North won't be able to deliver presents on Christmas, and Bunny won't be able to deliver eggs at Easter. None of us can do anything which means that the children, oh, the children, will stop believing!"

"Tooth, I. . . I didn't know. What can we do?" Mother Nature inquires, reaching out towards her new acquaintances.

"Get my clocks back. We get them back, I can undo all of this." Father Time said, walking towards Mother Nature. "Who are you?" he asked her suddenly, just now noticing the newcomer.

"I'm Mother Nature. A pleasure to meet you, Father Time." Mother Nature replies sheepishly, unsure whether or not she should even still be in the vicinity or just go home.

"Yes, yes. A pleasure to meet you, too." Father Time looked at her suddenly, as though just now seeing her. "Now, Mother Nature. That's an awful mouthful. Mind if I were to shorten it up?"

Mother Nature looked at him, confused, then shrugged. Whatever he wanted to do if it meant getting everything back to normal. "Sure, but make it a good one."

Accepting the challenge, Father Time began, "Okay, let's see. Mother Nature. Well, I'm called Father so Mother won't really do. Let's see. What can I do with Nature? Nah-a-ch-ure. Nat-chur. Nat." His eyes lit up then, having found the one. "How about Nat?"

"Nat?" Mother Nature rolled the name around on her tongue. "What do you four think?" Mother Nature asked the Guardians, seeking approval. After all, she was supposed to be one of them.

"Nat? Well, it is simple and kinda ingenious. And it's much easier to say. I like it." Tooth said in approval.

Sandy gave Mother Nature two thumbs up.

"Crikey, s'not bad, ya know," Bunny added with a small grin.

"Is very nice," North replied, nodding for her to go for it.

Mother Nature looked back at Father Time and smiled a charming smile. "Nat, then. Okay. Now, who took your clocks?"

"I didn't see a face. Just a black hood that blocked the face. The figure was cloaked in thick, heavy black robes. He carried a large scythe. When he spoke, it sounded like the essence death itself. It was the Grim Reaper." Father Time said in a shaky voice.

"The Grim Reaper? North?" Nat asked, looking at him for an explanation.

"Just like at the Pole." he murmured, not looking at her.

Eyes widening, Father Time asks, "You saw him, too?"

"Yes," North replies heavily.

"Don't worry, Father. We'll get your clocks back." Tooth promised, a fiery glint in her eyes.

"Thank you," he said as the Guardians jumped in the sleigh and flew towards the Tooth Palace to form a plan.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: First Fight**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

The Guardians and Nat circled around the globe. Some of the lights were going out. "What's going on?" asked Nat, worried about what was happening to the globe.

The Guardians looked from one another and then to Nat. Tooth was about to say something when suddenly an eerie voice can be heard. "I have to say, this is very, very exciting." The voice echoes across the open chamber. They look up to see a shadowy figure, standing high above them with a satisfied smirk plastered on his face. "The Big Four, all in one place. I'm a little star-struck." he paused before saying "Did you like my show on the globe, North? Got you all together, didn't I?"

Tooth darts after him, but he escapes into the shadows. "Grim, you have got thirty seconds to return Father Time's clocks!" she shouts up at him.

Nat's eyes widened. So he was the Grim Reaper. She could certainly see why he was regarded so highly. His face was hidden behind a massive black robe that covered his entire body, yet at the same time, his skeletal frame was visible beneath the cloak, adding to the eeriness of him. From the hem of his robe, black smoke coagulated into the surrounding air, giving him a levitating effect. And most ominous of all was his massive scythe. It was a sinister looking weapon, with a cold, sharp blade that seemed to reflect the millions of souls trapped within.

"Or what?" Tooth follows the sound of Grim's voice and finds him near one of her tooth box columns. "You'll stick a quarter under my pillow?"

"Why are you doing this?" North demanded to know, clenching his fists.

"Maybe I want what you have. To be believed in." Grim moves along the walls and shadows of the chamber and emerges from behind a column. "Maybe I'm tired of hiding in the shadows."

Bunny stepped up and shouted, "Maybe that's where you belong."

"Ah, go suck an egg, rabbit!" Bunny looks down past the edge of the platform to find Grim upside down, staring him in the face. Grim disappears again. "Hang on, is that. . . Mother

Nature?" he laughs and continues "Since when are you all so chummy?"

"We're not. I just got called here." Nat told him, pointing her bow and arrow around, having conjured them at the sight of him.

"Oh good." Nat turns and sees Grim standing in the middle of a column. "A neutral party. Then I'm going to ignore you. But, you must be used to that by now." Nat, in a state, drew back her bowstring and aimed an arrow at Grim. At this, Grim smiled and said, "You're not going to shoot me."

"Your mistake," Nat smirked, releasing her arrow. It pierced Grim in the arm.

His eyes widened in disbelief. "Agh!" He screamed in agony. "No wonder no one believes in you! You're so stupid, Mother Nature. Do you know what you just did? Do you know who I am? You will always be invisible!"

In response, Nat shot him again, taking vindictive pleasure in meeting her mark. Grim snarled in rage as the second arrow struck home.

"Grim! You shadow sneaking ratbag! Come here!" Bunny goes after Grim, but he disappears and reemerges on an opposite column. Tooth spots him, grabs one of Bunny's boomerangs and flies at Grim in a rage when she screams, " _Ahh!_ "

Grim looks at Tooth with a smile and before she can reach him, a huge skeleton darts out of hiding and rears up at her. Tooth falls back. "Whoa! Hey, easy, girl. Easy." Grim notices the shocked Guardians. "Don't be nervous, it only riles them up more. They smell fear you know."

"What fear? Of you!? No one's been afraid of you since the Dark Ages!" Bunny hollered out, taunting him.

Grim's eyes flash with anger. But then he smiles. In a nostalgic voice, he says, "Oh, the Dark Ages. Everyone frightened. Miserable. Such happy times for me. Oh, the power I wielded! But then the Man in the Moon chose you to replace my fear with your wonder and light! Lifting their hearts! And giving them hope! Meanwhile, everyone wrote me off as just a bad dream! 'Oh,

there's nothing to be afraid of! There's no such thing as the Grim Reaper!'" Grim leans toward the Guardians, showing nothing but contempt. "Well, that's all about to change." A sound behind Grim: one of the columns of the Palace begins to crack and crumble as if decaying. Tooth is stunned. "Oh look, it's happening already."

Nat, stunned, asked, "What is?" Tooth's eyes widen in shock as her home begins crumbles.

"Children are either not going to sleep or not waking up, thus rendering the Tooth Fairy useless. If no one is losing teeth, then there is subsequently no need for a person to collect them."

Nat, mystified at the sight of the continuing deterioration, moves closer to Tooth as the palace continues to crumble. "What's going on?" she asked her gently.

Eyes wide, Tooth replies slowly, "They. . . they don't believe in me anymore."

Grim just chuckled in disbelief before saying, "Didn't they tell you, Nat? It's great being a Guardian, but there's a catch. If enough kids stop believing, everything your friends protect, wonder, hopes, dreams, memories, it all goes away. And little by little, so do they." Nat realizes now the magnitude of Grim's plan. "No Christmas, or Easter, or little fairies that come in the night. There will be nothing. But fear and darkness and me! It's your turn not to be believed in!"

Sick of hearing him talk, Bunny throws his boomerangs at Grim, who quickly ducks out of the way as they fly around the chamber columns. Nat fires her arrows and two of the three hit the skeleton, causing Grim to fall. He spots another one a few feet away. Grim then jumps onto the back of a skeleton down into the depths of the Palace. The Guardians dive after him, followed by Nat. Bunny grabs a set of egg bombs and launches them at Grim, exploding seconds before Grim hits the ground. Nat shoots arrow after arrow but Grim just barely avoids them. In frustration, she shuts her eyes and begins to move her fingertips. The grass rises and tangles up around the skeleton's hooves when Grim strikes it with his scythe, killing the grass instantly. "Agh!" Nat cried, losing her balance and tumbling down onto the ground. Grim takes advantage of the situation and runs off as quickly as he can. The Guardians land as Nat clutches her forehead before banging her fists onto the ground. Tooth helps her friend to her feet while North says in defeat, "He's gone."


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Since it's the first day of 2018, I decided to post a new chapter to celebrate. Hope everyone had an amazing new years eve and is ready to enjoy a brand new year!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Memory Lane**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Tooth, deflated, sits on the ground with a tooth box in her hands. Baby Tooth, resting on a nearby tooth box, looks to Tooth with concern. Nat walks up and crouches down alongside Tooth.

"Okay, alright I admit it, you were right about Grim," Bunny tells North reluctantly, upset that he was wrong.

North says sadly, "This is one time I wish I was wrong. But he will pay."

Tooth, not her bubbly self, smiles at her friend and says "You should've seen them. They put up such a fight against the skeletons to save the clocks."

"Why would Grim attempt to take the teeth?" Nat asked, confused.

"It's not the teeth he wanted. It's the memories inside them."

Quirking an eyebrow, Nat asks, "What do you mean?"

Tooth leads Nat across the pond. Nat is walking on the water with ease. "That's why we collect the teeth, Nat. They hold the most important memories of childhood." Tooth directs her to a mural, which illustrates this. "My fairies and I watch over them and when someone needs to remember what's important, we help them." Nat takes a second to admire the immense beauty of the mural before him. "We had everyone's here. Yours too."

Looking away from the mural, Nat asks, "My memories?"

"From when you were young. Before you became Mother Nature." Tooth explains as though it were obvious.

"You mean I had a life before all of this? Before I was Mother Nature? With a home and a family and people I loved? Seriously? All these years and the answers were right here. If I find my memories, then I'll know why I'm here." Then she speaks directly to Tooth. "You have to show me." Nat, using her ability to fly lifts up off the ground and flies across the pond.

Tooth follows her and everyone else soon follows Tooth. Tooth rummages around a few pillars before handing Nat what she wants. It's a golden tube about a foot long with colorful diamonds on its flat lid. A picture of Nat before she became a Guardian is on the front of the tube.

"How do I open it?" asks Nat, attempting to pry it open with her fingers.

Tooth placed Nat's thumb over the heart of the container, opening it for her. At the sight of Nat's teeth, Tooth squealed. "You always did have such amazing teeth!"

Nat stares at the teeth when she's flooded with her memories. Her burnt down village. Her dead parents, burnt alive. Bonding with the Spirit Bear. Her love for Jacy. And the most prominent memory, the one of her death.

 _When Jacy was busy with his own opponent, the Chief from the enemy tribe snuck up from behind Naturetta. Before she could turn around and shoot him, he had his hand around her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Drawing her body closer to his, the Chief laughed as he stabbed her repeatedly in the stomach with an arrowhead. As Naturetta was being struck, the Spirit Bear stood up and ran towards the Chief, teeth bared. Laughing cruelly, the Chief uncovered her mouth just to hear her scream. At the sound of the scream, Jacy turned in horror. '_ No!' _he screamed. Then suddenly he took off towards the Chief. Jacy jumped into the air, lifted his arm up, and then smashed the spear into the Chief's stomach, pinning him to the ground. Jacy was about to stab him again when he saw Spirit Bear running very quickly towards him. Jacy gave the bear a look that read 'He's all yours.' Jacy then turned towards Naturetta and fell to the ground. He pulled her into his lap and held her tightly. 'Naturetta!_ No!'

 _Naturetta picked up her hand and placed it against Jacy's face. 'Jacy. It's going to be okay. You will win this battle. Spirit Bear will help you win the rest. I love you.' Naturetta leaned forward and kissed Jacy._

 _Jacy kissed her back softly. 'I love you, Naturetta. I can't lose you! You mean everything to me! I love you!'_

' _You won't lose me, Jacy. I will forever remain here.' she tapped his chest where his heart was_ _located. 'Because I love you. And we'll meet again someday. Have a little faith.'_

' _I love you, too, Nature,'_

Nat came crashing back to reality. She'd had a home, a family, a magical bear, and a lover but they were all gone. Her home and parents had been destroyed but if she hadn't died, she could have had a magic pet bear and her Jacy. "Did you just see that?" Nat asked suddenly, needing to talk to _someone_ about what she just saw.

Tooth shook her head, replying, "No, sorry. I didn't."

Nat began to shiver and thunder clouds rolled in from out of nowhere. Rain poured out of the sky in heavy sheets and thunder and lightning brightened up the sky as Nat cried. Strong winds blew around the Tooth Palace.

Gripping her friend by the shoulders to calm her down, Tooth inquires, "Nat! What's wrong?"

"Jacy," Nat whispered. "Tooth, you have to show me Jacy's memories!"

"Who?" Tooth asks, confused.

Eyes widening with panic, Nat cries, "He was in my memories! I need to know how he died!"

"Nat, I don't know. There are _thousands_ of 'Jacy's'. I have no idea which one you're-" Tooth is cut off suddenly.

"Then look at my memories then! I don't care how private or personal they're supposed to be. I need to know how Jacy died." Nat demands, tears streaking down her face now.

"Okay, okay. Just calm down." Tooth reopened Nat's memories and watched them. When they were over, the memory container fell out of Tooth's hands, landing on the floor making a dull thud.

"Tooth? Are you," Nat was asking when Tooth flew up to her and gave her a tight hug. ". . . okay?" Nat finished her thought, hugging Tooth back.

"Nat, I had no idea! I'm so sorry! I... I'll find Jacy's memories. I'm sorry." Tooth let go and quickly found Jacy's memory canister.

While Tooth was busy looking for it, Nat picked up her own in one hand, looking at the picture of her face. She hadn't changed much in the transformation. Maybe she got a little taller, a little more muscular. But besides that, nothing had really changed. Tooth handed Nat the container holding Jacy's memories. Nat opened it and braced herself for the worse. Staring at the teeth, the memories suddenly flood Nat's mind.

She sees Jacy being beaten by his father as a young boy, leaving long, ugly scars on his beautiful skin. Jacy's first kill, which he completed with a bow and an arrow. When Jacy met Nat, or Mother Nature, or Naturetta. Naturetta's death. Jacy, much older now than in the previous memory, being married off to a pretty, tall, and thin Native American girl. Then there are five short flashes, each one Jacy is holding a small child, presumably his own children. Then Nat arrives at the last memory, Jacy's death.

 _Jacy is much older now. Maybe sixty to seventy years old. His black hair is now gray and his beautiful skin now sags. His bright eyes, so full of life, are now duller and darker. Jacy is lying in his bed, his wife by his side. His children are gathered around him. He is dying. Jacy pats each of his children on the head. He has three sons and two daughters. 'I love you all.' His voice is so faint that it is hard to make out. 'Ashwin,' he says, hugging his eldest son. 'Atsaid,' he says, hugging the middle son. 'Mohe,' he says, hugging his youngest son. He has named his sons after his brothers who are all probably dead. Then Jacy turns to his daughters. 'Nakoma,' he says, kissing his daughter on the cheek. He then kisses his wife on the lips before turning to his other daughter. 'Naturetta, I love you.' he kisses his last daughter then_ _looks up at the ceiling, his breathing slowing down before at last, his chest stops moving. Jacy is dead._

Nat gasps as she comes back to reality. "What happened?" Tooth asks, flying to her side, putting her hands on Nat's shoulders.

"He, he died of old age. At least at sixty years old. He had a wife and five children." Nat had tears coming out of her eyes and was choking back sobs.

Wrapping an arm around her, Tooth asks, "But isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes," Nat says, allowing tears to fall freely from her face.

"Then why are you crying?" Tooth asks, still worried.

"His last words. He said he loved me." Nat finally lost it then. She collapsed to the ground in a raging fit of tears, her sobs racking her body. The rain began falling even harder and even more thunder and lightning lit up the sky.

Tooth patted Nat's back soothingly as she exchanged a worried glance with North, Bunny, and Sandy. This couldn't be good. "Uh, Nat?" Tooth asked hesitantly, her look of concern growing as Nat ignored her question.

After a very long moment, Nat quit crying and looked at Tooth with a sheepish smile. Wiping a few straggling tears, Nat sat up. The thunder and lightning quit and the torrential rain turned into a slight drizzle. "Sorry, I guess you could say I got a little emotional. It's just that ever since I can remember, I always thought I was just Mother Nature. But seeing these memories, I now know I had a life. People who cared about me. And that was all taken away from me. At least I know Jacy had a good life before he. . . before he died." Tooth and Nat hugged each other tightly, a moment of recollection between the two of them.

North has seen enough. "Enough wishy-washy," he says. "Christmas is tomorrow and if we pull out all the stops, we can get all those lights going again. Who's with me?" All the Guardians cheered in agreement. "Then it is settled. C'mon. Let's load up the sleigh." The Guardians and Nat rushed into the sleigh and North got the reindeer all riled up before flying off. "I say the North Pole," he whispered into a snowglobe before throwing it and allowing the sleigh to get sucked into the portal-like vortex. Once in the Pole, the five hopped out.

"What do you want us to do, North?" Tooth asked him.

"Gather up as many presents as you can and place them in my sack over there," North instructed, pointing at the large bag in the center of his workshop.

"How do you plan on getting _that_ thing out of here?" Bunny asked him.

"I have my ways," North replied mysteriously.

"Okay. . . Let's get started." Nat said cheerily.

With that, they began loading presents into the gigantic bag. After several hours, they had finished loading up North's bag which he said he would put in his sleigh later.

"Okay, so we have Christmas covered from all angles. Now we just need to get Father Time's clock helpers back. Let's go find Grim so we can get the clocks back and unfreeze time."

Everyone was for it when Tooth's tail feathers began to fall out. "Tooth! What's wrong?"

"Well, there's no teeth to collect. Children that were awake when the time was frozen won't fall asleep and children that were asleep during the freezing of time won't wake up until it's unfrozen. With no teeth to collect, I've got no believers."

"Will you be okay?" Nat inquires, worried but unable to see any way to help.

Waving a dismissive hand, Tooth replies, "I should be fine as long as this doesn't last too long."

Cracking her knuckles, Nat inquires, "Alright. Where can we find Grim at?"

"Nat, we can't just barge into Grim's lair and say we demand him to return the clocks!" Tooth shouts at her suddenly.

Confused by that, Nat asks, "Why not? We're the good guys, the Guardians at that! Surely we could if we wanted to!"

"Just because we're the Guardians doesn't mean we can just go mucking about wherever we want!" Bunny explains, waving his boomerang around for emphasis.

"Why not? Is there some rule or law that I don't know about?" Nat asks, seeing that as the only plausible explanation for why they were still talking and hadn't yet left to fight like she had suggested.

Shaking his head, North replies, "No but if we just barge in there we don't know what could happen! We could all be killed!"

"It's either killed or not believed in! I've not been believed in once in the past fifty years and trust me, it's not fun. Is that what you want? To be invisible? A nobody? Trust me, it's not fun." Nat sighed before looking at them and saying, "If you don't want to come, fine. But I _am_ going. Feel free to stop by if you've got the time but if you don't, I'll understand." Nat promptly flew off as the Guardians looked from one another wondering what to do.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Backstory**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

Nat was flying around aimlessly, fuming. "First they're all like 'You're a Guardian now! It's your job to protect the children!' and then they're all like, 'You can go protect the children if you like, you not Guardian you, while we kick back, relax, and take all the credit while no one believes in you! Thanks for doing our job for us!' Ugh! It just makes me so mad! If they knew what it was like to not be believed in, oh they would be singing a different tune!"

Nat stopped flying and crossed her legs in midair, putting her elbows on her knees and her cheeks in her palms. "What's wrong with me? They're my friends, after all. Maybe I was being a little mean. They are, after all, at least several centuries older than me. Of course, more children would believe in them. But it would be nice to have at least someone be able to see me." Then Nat sighed quietly to herself. Then she laid down and rolled over, her hair falling on her face. "I'm a total failure." she moaned when she heard something.

Nat leaped to her feet and circled around, looking for the source of the sound. "Nat. . ." There was the sound again. "Nat. . ." Nat squinted her eyes, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. Finally she shrugged her shoulders and dove down towards the ground. "Nat..." she followed the voice until she arrived at a hole in the ground marked by a disturbingly creepy tombstone. Nat stared at it, a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach before she began to fly away when the voice called again "Nat..." The sound was coming from the down the hole. "Really?" Nat muttered to herself, wondering why the sound couldn't be emitting from a more pleasant source. Then with a shrug, she jumped into the hole feet first.

Nat slid down the long hole, going deeper and deeper into the ground. Finally, she fell out into a cavernous room. Looking around, Nat let out a gasp as she saw all the cages filled with winged clocks. She jumped up towards the cages and shook it, getting the clocks' attention. "Hey, I'm gonna get you all out of her as soon as,"

"Nat. . ." the voice called then, disrupting her train of thought.

"Possible. . ." Nat finished, looking around for the voice. She jumped down from the cage, slid the bow off of her shoulder, took an arrow from the quiver, and strung it loosely. "Who's there?" Nat called loudly as she crouched into her defensive position.

"Hello, Nat," Grim says, appearing out of the shadows. Nat swings around with her bow, shooting off a well-aimed arrow, but Grim isn't there. Nat takes off, following the sound of Grim's cackle as it echoes throughout the chamber. Nat rounds a corner as she sees Grim's shadow glide across the walls into a shadowed corridor. "Don't be afraid, Nat. I'm not going to hurt you."

Nat continues along a shadowed corridor, hunting him. "Afraid?" Nat asked of him. Nat sees Grim on a bridge across the cavern and heads after him. "I'm not afraid of you!"

"Maybe not," Grim allows, though Nat can almost hear him smirk, "But you are afraid of something."

Nat steadily approaches, cautious and alert. "You think so, huh?"

"I know so. It's the one thing I always know." Grim finally turns to face Nat. "People's greatest fears. Yours is that no one will ever believe in you." Panic flashes in Nat's eyes. As she backs away, the chamber fills with shadows and Nat is spun around. She's disoriented as she thuds into a wall, which flips to reveal that it's actually the ground. Grim, unseen now, chuckles. Nat's unsure of where he is. She looks back to see the cavern entrance which means that she's right back where she started. "And worst of all, you're afraid you'll never know why. Why you? Why were you chosen. . . to be like this?" Nat discovers that the entrance has been blocked with bricks as Grim's shadow encroaches on her. "You've seen your memories, haven't you? But you still remain unsure. You're whole life revealed and yet it seems you've died for nothing."

"How did you know I-" Nat was about to ask Grim how he knew she had died before becoming Mother Nature.

He lifted a hand, silencing her, and explained, "How could I not know? Fear and death are the only two things that I know."

Suddenly Nat gets an idea. "Well, maybe that could change. Certainly, the Man in the Moon could do something."

"The Man in the Moon can do nothing for me." Grim abruptly remarks. Shaking his head, he adds, "He had that option a long time ago but. . . it's in the past. Now that it's the present I can finally claim the victory that is rightfully mine."

Still confused as to how these events tied together, Nat inquires, "But why the clocks?"

"Ah, now that's the question, isn't it? Why the clocks, why the clocks indeed. You see, Nat, the answer to that remains here." Grim says, disappearing behind a pillar.

Suddenly, Nat is lifted up into the air, metal bars surrounding her. "What the-" she was interrupted when the force of being lifted up into the air knocking her back. Once she was ensnared inside the giant cage and was amongst the flying clocks, Nat flew the side of the cage, grabbed the bars, and gave them a long shake. "Grim! Let me go!"

"I think not. You entered my home, uninvited, and attempted to shoot me. You, my dearest Nat, need to learn some manners." Smiling, his tone indicated that he was scolding a poorly behaved child.

Crossing her arms, Nat confidently remarks, "So you're just going to keep me in this cage until what? The Guardians come and defeat you? You know deep down that's what will happen."

Grim saw the humor in this, laughing. "The Guardians come and defeat me? Haha, why would the Guardians help you? You are obviously not one of them. They'll never really accept you, Nat. You're just like me, you know. No one will ever believe in you. You're invisible."

"I am nothing like you, Grim," Nat replies quickly, her eyes narrowing at him for saying such a thing.

Seeing that he struck a nerve, Grim continues, "Oh really? Is that so? We've both been let down by the Man in the Moon."

Nat had not been expecting that. "What are you talking about?"

Shrugging as though it were obvious, Grim points out, "The Man in the Moon is going to let you rot in this cage until the end of time and he let me. . . well, he's the reason why I wear a robe and hood."

Nat took a deep, yet unnecessary breath, before saying, "Well, I've got time and I'm curious. Why do you wear the robe and hood?"

Grim looks at her for a moment before taking a hand and pushing his hood back, revealing his face. Nat lets out a terrified gasp. Where there should have been a face was hot, rotting, blackened flesh with bits of revealed bone here and there. Both eyes were big and black with thick red veins. His skull was bald. His lips, eyebrows, and eyelashes were gone.

Despite Grim being the bad guy, Nat felt a wave of sympathy crash over her body. "W-what happened to you?" she asked gently.

"Centuries upon centuries ago, I was a man of immense power. I had more riches than I knew what do with. Everyone from miles around revered, respected, and feared me. I had looks, too. I was a strapping twenty-six-year-old with a broad chest, long flowing hair, and the most beautiful eyes. I was the happiest man in the world but little did I know everything I loved and cherished would be taken away. You see, Nat, my parents were the rulers of the largest kingdom out of any of the kingdoms that were anywhere near us. We had wealth, riches, power, and land. Every kingdom that surrounded us was jealous. One day they realized that if they banded together and attacked us from all around, then they could defeat my parents and take over. It wasn't long before my parents were assassinated. But the other kingdoms had forgotten about me. I captured the assassinators and tortured them in public for a fortnight before having them publicly executed. After the execution, the other kingdoms knew they would only win after my death. They knew that I was spoiled, greedy, and honestly, I was downright evil, even then. They lured me to their homes with promises of money and land. The next thing I knew, I was tied up and knocked unconscious. I came too when they began to burn me at the stake; the fiery prince meeting a fiery end. The Man in the Moon stepped in when I was almost dead and brought me back to life. But unlike you, he didn't fix up my blemishes. The only thing he bothered doing was giving me new eyes because my human eyes had been melted out of their sockets. I've spent the rest of my life hiding. Hiding my face, my past, myself, my plans. But now I'm done hiding. Once my plan's been accomplished, it will be you and your precious Guardians who'll need to go into hiding!" With that, Grim lifted his hood back up so that it was covering his face.

The story was something Nat had not been expecting. Blinking, she regained her composure and asked, "What's your plan?"

"I have stolen all of Father Time's clocks in order to freeze time. With time frozen, nothing will move forward. If time won't go on, the Guardians won't be able to do anything and will be reduced to nothing!" With an evil laugh, Grim swished his cloak and disappeared.

Nat continued to shake and shake the bars, attempting to get free when she conjured an arrow, aimed at the lock, and fired. The arrow snapped the lock into two pieces. Nat quickly retrieved the arrow from its landing spot and flew off to warn the Guardians about Grim.

* * *

Tooth, North, Bunny, and Sandy were where Nat had left them. Tooth was sitting on top of the globe with her legs crossed. A few fairies were flying around her and she unanimously told them where they needed to go to collect teeth. They were running out of teeth to collect as no child was able to lose any in their present situation. Sandy was absentmindedly making dream sand images on top of his Dream Sand cloud. Bunny was painting eggs with tired movements and North just sat there with his head in his hands. But they were all driven out of their daydreaming when Bunny let out a yelp. His feet were freezing over.

"Crikey! What's going on?" he cried as the ice spread up his torso.

"Bunny!" North yelled, attempting to jump towards his friend. But the ice had gotten to his feet and had frozen them to the floor.

As the ice put the finishing touches on North, Nat flew into the room. "Bunny! North!" she screamed, flying at full force towards them. She touched both of their ice-enclosed bodies and then turned around to watch as Sandy was being coated in ice. Tooth flew down next to Nat and frantically began looking around. "What's happening?!" Nat asked worriedly, panicking at the sight of the frozen statues.

"It's the children. Time has been frozen for so long that we're freezing with it!" Suddenly Tooth dropped to the ground as her wings became frozen, she scrambled around, looking like an upside down insect, until she was finally frozen solid.

Nat had watched with her hands over her mouth in terror. As soon as Tooth was frozen, Nat began to spin around, seeing where the ice would begin freezing her. She was spinning in small, frantic, circles for about ten minutes when she realized that she wasn't freezing over at all. Nat looked over at her friends who were frozen. She flew to each one of them but didn't know what to do. "All the more reason to hurry up and get those clocks back," she said with a determined sigh before taking off into the skies again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Part A**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

"What to do, what to do? I barely got out of Grim's lair last time. Now I have to go back? Swell. Okay, okay, crisis is over. It's time to think like a Guardian. What would they do? Wow, this is complicated." Nat was frustrated, floating around aimlessly, wondering what to do. "I need a plan. A really smart plan." She sighed, dropping to the ground because she wasn't in the mood to fly. Walking around, Nat didn't know what to do. Her friends were in danger, the children were lost, and Grim was about to win. She was the only one left. It was up to her now. If only she knew what to do. "Wait a minute!" Nat cried, getting an idea.

* * *

Before Nat began her idea, she wanted to check on the Guardians. A small piece of her had expected them to become unfrozen but when she arrived there they were still ice sculptures. Looking at them, Nat sighed before she began looking around, Nat flew to the place where North kept his sleigh.

But when she tried to get to it, she received a wave of protests from the Yetis. "Oh, come on, please let me borrow it! The fate of the children and the Guardians rest in the balance! Don't you care about North?"

"Garble," one of the Yetis replied to Nat in their strange language.

Taking it as a yes, she continued with her imploring. "Then I need to borrow the sleigh! I promise I'll return it and that I won't let anything happen to it, just, please! You won't even miss it!" Nat pleaded with them.

Finally, they relented and let her have the sleigh. Nat jumped into the sleigh and calmed down the rowdy reindeer before taking off. Looking around, she found one of North's snowglobes and picked it up. She threw it as hard as she could and a portal was revealed. Nat maneuvered the sleigh through the portal and in a flash was where she wanted to be.

Landing the sleigh, she hopped out and flew to the window of the room of the house in which she knew Rose was at. Looking inside, Nat saw that Rose was wide awake, her tooth probably still under her pillow, a book in her hand. Smiling, Nat blew on the palm of her hand, where seconds later a flower began to bloom. It flew over to Rose and landed on her book. At this, Rose looked up at her window, fingering the flower delicately. Nat frosted the window and drew another flower before doing the same thing as before except this time, the flower flew into the room and burst into snow. At this, Nat opened the window and jumped in.

Rose looked around at the snow then watched as it melted away and plants grew in its place. Then the plants withered and it became hot in the room before it cooled down and multi-colored leaves filled the room. The leaves were suddenly replaced by snow again. "The seasons?" Rose muttered under her breath. "In my room?" She is puzzled when suddenly, her eyes light up. "Mother Nature."

"Did she just say. . . " Nat trails off, refusing to get her hopes up after so long of having them dashed.

Rose stands up on her bed then, peering more closely at Nat. "Mother Nature."

Nat blinks then. There was no way Rose had not just said her name. "She said it again. She said, you said. . ."

Rose turns around and suddenly her eyes go wide. "Mother Nature."

"That's right! But. . . but that's me! Mother Nature! That's my name! You said my name!" Rose's mouth drops open. Only then does Nat realize what is happening. "Wait, can you hear me?" Rose nods. "Can you. . . Can you see me?" Rose nods again. "She sees me. She sees me!" Nat leaps for joy, and the room suddenly explodes with light.

Rose can't believe it. "You made it snow."

"I know!" Nat nods encouragingly.

"In my room." Rose blinks, taking it all in.

"I know!"

"You're real?" Rose asks suddenly, realizing the enormity of what she was witnessing.

"Yes! Who do you think brings you all the blizzards and snow days during the winter, the flowers in the spring, all the pleasantries of summer, the beautiful array of leaves in the fall, and you remember the snowball fight the other day?" Nat asks, brimming with excitement.

"That was you?"

"That was me!"

"Cool!"

"Right?"

Brimming with questions, Rose gushes, "But what about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy I mean-"

"Real, real, real! Every one of us is real! Santa Claus, too! We're all real! Believe in all of us!" Nat implores.

"I knew it!"

Rose and Nat smile at each other before Nat suddenly says, "I need your help."

"What?" Rose asks, taken aback.

Clearing her throat, Nat explains, "You are the one person who can help me and I need you and your friends to help me."

Determination setting in her eyes, Rose inquires, "What do you need me to do?"

Smiling at the fruition of her plan, Nat explains in a vague manner, "First, we need to get your friends."

"How?" Rose asks, sensing the impossibleness of what Nat was suggesting.

"I was hoping you'd ask that," Nat said with a smug grin on her face.

"Why?"

"You'll see," Nat said, opening the window.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked her in hushed alarm.

"Oh, right," Nat said, realizing that unlike herself, Rose had never jumped to the ground from a height of twenty feet. Nat securely wrapped her arms around Rose and jumped out the window. Once on the ground, Nat put Rose on the ground. Then Nat instructs, "Follow me," leading Rose into the woods to where North's sleigh was.

When Rose saw it, her jaw dropped. "Is that. . . ?"

Cockily looking at her nails, Nat replies, "Santa's sleigh? Yep."

"How did you get it?" Rose asks, eagerly running her hand along the bright red wood.

"He wasn't using it so I figured he wouldn't mind if I borrowed it for a moment. Now come on, we need to get your friends." Nat jumped into the sleigh and grabbed the reins. Rose hopped in next to her. Once Rose was seated, Nat got the reindeer in motion with a loud, "Hiya!"

In the air, Rose showed Nat where her friends lived. The first house they arrived at was Eliza's. Nat and Rose's reflections streak across the window when suddenly, boof! a snowball strikes the pane of glass.

Eliza pulls the covers down to find that it's suddenly snowing inside her room. As the snow circles around Eliza's head, she sits up and smiles. She hears a knock at her window and moves toward it to find Rose floating outside. She throws open her window and looks down to the ground to reveal that they are two stories up. "Rose, how are you doing that?!"

"Mother Nature! Come on, we need your help!" Rose takes off flying down the street, and as a snowflake lands on her nose, she suddenly sees not only Nat but Santa's sleigh which is waiting for her.

Once all of Rose's friends were in the sleigh, Nat used another snow globe to get to North's Pole. On the way, Nat says, "Now, I just want to let you know that what you see might shock you, but it will prove just how much I need your help."

The children got out and walked with her. When Nat showed them the frozen Guardians, they were terrified. "What happened?" Rose asked her.

"Well, that's why you're here. See, there's this villain named Grim, or Grim Reaper, and he stole all of Father Time's clocks which froze time and since the Guardians couldn't do anything, the belief in them became frozen and so they were frozen. I need you seven to help me recreate their holidays and the like in order to get them unfrozen and then we can defeat Grim and get the balance of the universe restored." When she was done saying that, she received blank stares from the children. Dumbing it down, she clarifies, "I need you to pretend it's Christmas and Easter, to fall asleep and Rose I need you to sleep with that tooth of yours under your pillow."

"But it is broad daylight!" Rose points out, confused as to how any of what Nat just said made sense.

"And it's been that way for what should have been days! You should be exhausted. But of course, time is frozen so you guys couldn't be exhausted even though you should be. Now, you all have the option to say no and just walk away but I could really use the help." Nat told them, hoping they would help.

"I'll help you," Rose told her after exchanging a look with her friends.

"Count me in," Eliza added, stepping forward.

"I want in!" Angelica replies as well.

"Deal me in." Peggy offers.

"Us too!" Fred and Alex cheered excitedly in unison.

"What could it hurt?" Sarah asked, smiling in agreement.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Nat replied, grateful to them.

* * *

The first thing Nat wanted was for the children to fall asleep. She put them in North's guest bedrooms and dimmed the light in the room as much as she could in order for them to fall asleep. When the seven children were asleep, Rose with the tooth under her pillow, Nat went to North's giant sack of toys and fished out a couple dozen and set them by the beds in which the seven were sleeping. Then, because she didn't have any dream sand to make dreams with, Nat whispered to the children different dream settings, creating beautiful images of her favorite nature scenes from her seventy plus years of exploring the world.

Once she was done with that, she did something she rarely did; teleported. One second she was in North's workshop, the next she was at a farm, more specifically a chicken coop. Nat gathered several dozen eggs before teleporting back to the pole, leaving a small pile of gems as payment. Then she moved her index finger over each individual egg using the same technique when she was adjusting the colors in flowers or butterflies. Once each egg was beautifully painted, she hid them all over the workshop.

When she was done with that, she went back to the children to see a mini-tooth fairy flying from under Rose's pillow, tooth in her wings. Nat knows the name of this one. "Baby Tooth!" she whispers, excitedly. The fairy acknowledges her and flies over to Nat. "Hey, you want to help me with something?" The fairy nods her head. "Awesome! I need you to stay here with me until Tooth unfreezes." Baby Tooth nodded again and hovered by Nat's head. Nat patted her on the head before waking all the children up.

Stretching hugely, Rose exclaims, "We had the most wonderful dream ever!"

Smiling at their excited faces, Nat replies, "That's nice. Now, what's that by your beds?" The children jumped out of their beds and looked to see presents strewn on the floor.

"Presents! Sweet!" Fred and Alex interject jovially as they rip the wrapping paper aside.

"Well, Christmas was supposed to be today so I don't think Santa would mind too terribly," Nat told them with a smile as the children ripped the wrapping paper off of the gifts.

The children were enthralled with their new toys. There were dolls and dollhouses, stuffed animals, tops, balls, bilboquets, wooden figurines, paint sets, skates, sleds, everything the children could have wanted.

Nat smiled at their squeals of delight. When the enthusiasm began to lower, she told them, "There's still one more thing I want you all to help me with."

"What?" the children asked, really excited at the prospect of more gifts.

"Come with me." When Nat leads them to the workshop, she handed them each a basket and explains, "There are eggs all over this place and your job is to find every one."

Without another word, the children were off, gathering eggs left and right. The yetis and elves helped them find them and even Baby Tooth chipped in. Eventually, all the eggs were found.

"What are we going to do with these eggs?" Angelica asked Nat.

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that. Um, anybody like omelets, scrambled eggs, deviled eggs, sunny-side-up eggs, hard boiled eggs, soft-boiled eggs, fried eggs, tea eggs, poached eggs, baked eggs, egg salad, curried eggs, and eggnog?" At that everyone laughed. Nat handed the baskets over to the yetis and told them, "North should be happy. There are enough eggs for him to have cookies and eggnog for at least a month."

This made the yetis laugh. The yetis carried off the hundreds of eggs and left Nat and the seven children in the room, laughing and chatting happily away. But after a moment they were silenced by a coughing noise behind them.

The children leaped behind Nat who put her hands out to offer more protection to them against whatever had made the noise in the first place. But at the sight of the thing that had made the noise, Nat grinned wildly and relaxed her position. There before her stood North, Bunny, and Sandy with Tooth hovering above them. "You guys!" Nat cheered, zipping over to where her friends were. Baby Tooth followed her over to them. "You're okay!"

"You seem busy," North replied, denoting to the seven children with Christmas gifts in hand and a few stray Easter eggs at their feet.

"Yeah, about that. . ." Nat said, rubbing her forearm sheepishly.

"And we couldn't have been more thankful!" Bunny told her with a grin.

"You just unfroze all of us by getting these children to keep their belief in us," North told her in appreciation.

"Wait a minute," Tooth began with massive grin, "Nat, they see you!"

"Yep," Nat replied proudly, gazing back at the seven children. "And look a tooth!" Nat told her, denoting to Baby Tooth and the tooth that she held.

"It is!" Tooth squealed excitedly, snatching the tooth and holding it close to her chest. "Oh, Nat, you are a charm! You're just wonderful!" Tooth spun around, dancing in the air.

"Now, I know we're all happy to be set free and all, but just one question. What are we gonna do with them?" Bunny asked, pointing at the seven children.

North stroked his beard before saying "I have an idea."

* * *

Nat smiled for a job well done. All the children were in their beds at home now with their presents all rewrapped and placed back in North's bag. North's idea had been for Sandy to put them to sleep and once they were asleep to take them back home. Nat had volunteered to teleport all of them back home and had just finished doing so. When she got back to the Pole, she was swamped by the Guardians who cheered her on.

"Good work, Sheila! You got us up and going' again!" Bunny said, punching her lightly on the arm.

"Really, you did wonderfully!" Tooth told her.

"Da, we wouldn't be here without you," North says in agreement with the others.

Sandy gave Nat two thumbs up.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Nat replies modestly, "It was no big deal. I'm just happy to be of service."

"No big deal? Look, we were wrong to turn you down when you wanted to get the clocks back from Grim. We're going to help you get the clocks back however you see fit at getting them." Bunny told her.

"Well, if you're really interested, I suppose I can let you in on the second part of my plan," Nat told them with a smile.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Part B**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Turns out Nat's plan was really good. The first part was to unfreeze the Guardians and that was all fine and dandy but the second part was the real killer. All the Guardians gathered in the sleigh and flew off to Grim's underground lair while Nat was to teleport there by herself. North landed the sleigh and he, Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy got out and jumped through the hole in the ground. They slid through the dirty hole Nat had stumbled upon earlier.

They looked around, getting their bearings, and saw Nat hanging around the cages of clocks, ready to give them their release. She winked at them and gave them a thumbs up. Sandy signaled a flag over his head, letting her know they were ready and then the Guardians quit staring in her direction and began to search for Grim. Tooth and Sandy took to the air while Bunny and North checked for him on the ground.

They didn't have to look for long. "What a surprise." a voice called from the middle of the room. All the Guardians gathered together, looking for where Grim came from. When they spotted him, they all drew their weapons. North and Tooth each had two swords, Bunny his boomerangs, and Sandy turned his Dream Sand into two long whips. Nat eyed Grim with only the eye an archer could possess and silently took her bow off her shoulder and drew an arrow from the quiver, carefully stringing it. She loosely held it, aiming it at nothing in particular as she watched the scene below with hawk eyes. "I must say this is a surprise, but unfortunately for you, it's not a pleasant one. First little Nat, now you. Ah, and I see you came without her. A shame, really, someone with real power finally comes into your grasp and you reject her. Shame you didn't bring her."

"And why's that?" North asked, sinking into attack position.

"Because unlike her, you won't be able to escape." Grim replied with a flourish of his hands.

Suddenly, dozens of skeleton horses erupt from out of the shadows and surrounded the Guardians. Nat's eyes narrow and her grip on the bow tightens. "It's been fun, well actually it hasn't, but now the fun must end." The skeleton horses are urging to move; they're restless. "Now you must die." Grim hissed at them. At the word 'die' the skeleton horses lunged at the Guardians.

The Guardians jumped out of the way, spreading out. Sandy slashed his whips around, slicing the creatures to pieces. Tooth slashes through the skeletons with not only her expert swordsman skills but also her wings. The skeletons didn't stand a chance. Bunny leaped from wall to wall, shredding the skeletons with his boomerangs and colorful exploding egg bombs.

North was running around the room like a hurricane, tearing apart practically everything that moved, all the while laughing for joy at his success. While he was laughing, a skeleton pounced on North, pinning him to the ground. Its massive teeth were about to rip his face off when suddenly a gold arrow pierced the creature's head. North looked up in shock and then a smile broke out on his face. He was wondering if Nat was going to get in on the action. And it was nice that her arrows were the same color as Sandy's dream sand lest Grim get more suspicious than necessary. North looked up where Nat was perched. She was firing arrows left and right with perfect aim and deadly accuracy. Though there was something different about her eyes. They were bigger than normal with extremely large pupils and though they were usually blue, they were now a golden brown. North became ecstatic because he had never see Nat turn herself or a bodily appendage into anything else, even though the Guardians knew she could. He was so tempted to call out to her and congratulate her but he couldn't or else Grim would find out that she was here. North shoved the skeleton off his frame and rejoined the fight.

When most of the skeletons were gone, the Guardians fled the scene as fast as they could. "No!" Grim called after them as they made a hasty escape. Nat bit her lip as the Guardians hurried to the exit. Before Grim could get to them through the shadows, they escaped. "No!" Grim screamed, stamping his foot on the ground. Then he jumped on a skeleton and yelled "After them!" to the skeletons. Obeying their master, they charged out of the lair and after the Guardians, Grim with them.

When Grim was gone, Nat flew to the exit and looked up. He hadn't left a single skeleton as a guard. Smiling, Nat flew back to the cages and broke all the locks. Then she opened all the cage doors and allowed the mini clocks to exit the cages. "Okay, clocks, I need you all to cram into one cage if you want to get back to Father Time," Nat whispered, holding open a cage door. All the clocks eagerly flew inside. Nat shut and relocked the door before grabbing the cage and teleporting to Father Time's palace.

At the sound of a huge crash, Father Time flew to where the source of the sound came from. When he saw Nat sitting on top of a cage filled with his clocks, he passed out. "Father Time!" Nat called, jumping down to where he was.

"Thank you, Nat." Father Time said as she helped him up. Nat then walked over to the cage and unlocked it. When she opened the door, the clocks shot out of the cage and surrounded Father Time as though they were hugging him. "Nat, thank you! How can I ever repay you?"

"Just get time unfrozen, please. That would be payment enough." Nat tells him, wiping her tired brow with the back of her hand.

"That I can do." Father Time replied with a grateful grin.

"You do that," Nat said before teleporting to the outside of Grim's lair.

Jumping in the air and taking to the sky, Nat looked around when she spotted the Guardians. Nat flew down to where they were and joined them just as Grim's wave of skeleton horses snakes its way through town causing destruction wherever it goes and converges toward a single point as it heads straight toward the Guardians and Nat. Sandy thrusts out his hands toward the skeleton wave. As it makes contact, the black sand bursts into streams of golden Dream Sand. Everyone is amazed, hardly believing their eyes. Streams of Dream Sand swirl around the five.

And then it's pandemonium. The Skeletons buck and jump as the sand makes its way past them.

Grim watches aghast, as his precious skeletons transform back into golden Dream Sand and makes its way across town. "No! Get them!" Grim gives a signal and sends another wave of skeletons toward the Guardians and Nat. "Do your jobs!"

North throws two snowglobes down to the ground, through which an army of yetis and elves emerge. Bunny whips out his boomerangs while jumping into the air. "G'day, mate!" he said before throwing the boomerangs which slice through two more skeletons, turning them to dust. Bunny drums his feet on the ground and an army of sentinel eggs suddenly rise up out of the earth.

Nat is zigzagging throughout the skeletons, shooting them down with ease. To be honest, she felt a little bored. She passes Tooth and the two high five before they fly back into the action, Tooth tearing apart the skeletons. Elves riding toy ducks and planes come flying in overhead like bombardiers, turning skeletons into puffs of black sand as they fly through them. Two elves in a bike and sidecar, charge an incoming skeleton. The elf behind the wheel lunges toward it, biting at its haunches. Sandy put his hands on the skeleton, turning it into Dream Sand. Then he jumped up in the air and began to slash skeletons with his whips.

Grim looks down with a smile at the chaos in the streets below. Suddenly, a thud! Grim turns toward the noise to see Nat on the roof. Nat quickly sends a streak of light toward Grim's skeletons, disabling a few of them. The Guardians turn toward the explosions of ice and snow taking place atop the surrounding buildings. Grim begins to charge and responds with an attack of his own. Nat jumps to an adjacent roof and lets out another blast of light. Nat runs into Grim as he rounds the corner of a chimney. Grim let a skeleton arrow fly, which is suddenly deflected by Tooth as she flies through the area and takes out a few skeleton of her own. Nat flies in soon after her friend does and fires sixteen arrows before flying after Tooth.

Suddenly, Bunny comes flying out of a nearby chimney, drawing his boomerang as he lands. "Ho, ho, _ho_!" The skeletons surrounding Grim explode into dust as the boomerang tears through them.

North shoots out of a bunny hole, his scimitars at the ready, only to have landed on a roof some distance from the Guardians. "Hyah!" but North looks around, confused when he realizes his mistake. "Wrong roof."

Grim tries to escape the attacking Guardians and Nat so he slips into a nearby shadow, emerging through the side of the building. North jumps off the roof to greet him mid-air with his scimitars. Grim is knocked to the ground. As he gets to his feet he forms a large scythe with his Nightmare sand and begins crossing swords with North. In an instant Grim finds himself surrounded by the Guardians and Nat. Each of them takes their turn to deal Grim a few humiliating blows. The five heroes advance toward Grim.

"It's over Grim! There's no place to hide." Nat shouts, pulling tighter on her bowstring.

Grim gives them a wry smile and quickly descends into the shadows, casting multiple versions of himself along the alley walls. Suddenly, in their moment of distraction, Grim rises up behind Nat, his scythe in hand.

"Nat, look out!" Tooth, North, and Bunny look on in horror as a golden whip wraps itself around Grim's hands. Sandy gives Grim a look, wags his finger, and then uppercuts him into the air.

Sandy then looks to his whip and tugs on it, slamming Grim into the ground and knocking him out. Sandy floats into the air and shoots streams of Dream Sand in every direction.

"You did it!" Rose screams, running towards Nat. Nat turns to see the child at her waist, hugging her. Nat smiles and bends down before hugging Rose back.

Suddenly, the voice of several children can be heard. Little ways away is Eliza, Peggy, Angelica, Sarah, Fred, and Alex. They are running towards the Guardians and Nat, releasing whoops of joy. With Grim defeated, they rejoice. Rose stands in awe of a school of beautiful Dream Sand fish as they float by, courtesy of Sandy when suddenly she's hit in the head with a snowball. She turns to look and sees Nat, smiling. Rose picks up a snowball and throws it at her friends. Almost instantaneously, a snowball fight ensues.

Sandy salutes Nat and North, who is standing off to the side while the snowball fight escalates. "Your center?" North asks her, his eyes twinkling.

"It took awhile, but I figured it out," Nat confesses. North tosses Nat a small item. Nat catches it and looks to her open palm, it's a Russian nesting doll in the image of Nat, similar to those found in North's workshop. Nat smiles and North gives her a wink in return.

 _Boof!_ North is suddenly hit by a snowball and turns. He sees Fred, Alex, and an elf; they immediately point fingers at each other. "Ooohhh." A moment passes, until North bursts out in laughter. "You're all on naughty list." He turns to Bunny and calls, "Bunny, think fast!" He throws a snowball, which hits Bunny smack in the face.

Nat materializes a snowball out of thin air and strings it on the string of her bow. Taking careful aim, she aims at Tooth and it catches her in the back of the head. Tooth turns around just in time to see her friend flying in the opposite direction. Smiling, Tooth takes off after Nat, ready to seek revenge.

Grim groans of pain, and rises up to see the town crawling with Dream Sand creatures, snowballs flying and yetis playing. "No," Grim says to himself. He whips around to see the kids, having the time of their lives, and no fear in their eyes. He rises up, his entire body shaking with rage, and screams at them. "You dare have fun in my presence! I am the Reaper! The Grim Reaper! _And you will fear me!_ " He lunges at Rose who comes running toward him,

Grim's hands outstretched as if he's going to grab her by the throat. But Rose runs right through him, laughing, joyous. " _No!_ " Grim gasps, realizing that he no longer has any power over the children. The devastation plays across his face. "No," he says under his breath. He sees the Guardians and Nat approach, standing side by side with one another. Grim turns and flees into the forest. Grim runs through the shadows in terror. He comes crashing through the trees of the forest, and out onto the ice of the pond. He looks over his shoulder to see if the Guardians are on his tail when e runs smack into North's chest. Grim slips on the ice, and falls backward. He looks up to see North smiling down at him.

"Leaving the party so soon?" North asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"You didn't even say goodbye." Tooth says then Tooth tosses something to Grim.

He deftly catches it and looks down. It's a quarter. "A quarter?"

As the words leave his mouth, a fist punches him right in the jaw, and a single tooth goes skittering across the ice. Tooth shakes out her hand. "And that's for Father Time's clocks."

"You can't get rid of me! Not forever! There will always be fear!" Grim threatens, shaking his fist angrily up at them.

Nat smiles and replies, "So what? As long as one child believes, we will be here to fight fear!"

"Really? Then what are they doing here?" Hundreds of skeletons emerge from the woods, surrounding the pond. It's terrifying, but the Guardians seem unphased.

"They can't be my nightmares, I'm not afraid." Bunny informed him.

Smiling, Nat says, "Looks like it's your fear they smell."

Grim's eyes grow huge with terror as the skeletons move in on him. He begins to back away, but the skeletons pick up speed as they charge toward him. "Ahhh, no!" He tries to run, but it's impossible to get his footing on the ice. He falters and is swept up in the stampede of skeletons. The streaks of black whip and latch themselves onto Grim as the black cloud carries him through the forest. "No, no, nooo!" Grim struggles to escape, but the mass of black sand pulls him deep into the forest, under the tombstone, and back down into the dark depths of the underground. He looks up at the moon as he disappears and the hole in the earth seals itself up.

Nat hears Tooth laugh and turns to find North, Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy, their faces shining with pride. Tooth comes flying in to give Nat a hug. She lifts her off the ground as they embrace. They share a moment and she soon recoils with giddy delight as Baby Tooth interjects. Nat acknowledges Baby Tooth and gently pats her on the side of her head

North steps forward. "Are you ready now, Nat? To make it official." Nat looks over, a stern elf is hitting a horn against his palm. A Yeti hands North the book we saw when Nat and the Guardians first met. Sandy and Bunny share a boastful look. Nat nods. "Then is time you take Oath." North opens the book, flips through several pages, and takes a moment before he speaks. "Will you, Mother Nature, vow to watch over the children of the world?" Rose and her friends along with a crowd of yetis, elves, and eggs all make their way across the pond to the rest of the group. As they approach we see settle on Rose, who stands at the center of the group. "To guard them with your life; their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams? For they are all that we have, all that we are and all that we will ever be."

Nat takes a second to look back at Rose, then back to North. With a determined smile, she simply replies, "I will."

"Then congratulations, Mother Nature, for you are now and forevermore. . . a Guardian." North picks up Nat, gives her a hug, and kisses her on both cheeks.

Nat looks up to North with a smile. "That's my girl! Woo!" Bunny called as the kids cheered "Alright Nat! Yeah! Awesome!"

After a moment more of celebration, North turns and puts his hand on Nat's shoulder. "Time to go." As the kids look on in wonder, Sandy throws up his hands creating a shower of Dream Sand, which drifts down on the children.

Rose realizes what's about to happen. "You're leaving? But, what if Grim comes back?" Nat looks back at Rose, who seems wistful and worried. "What if we stop believing again? If I can't see you?"

Nat kneels down to look Rose in the eye. "Hey, hey, slow down, slow down. You telling me you stop believing in the moon when the sun comes up?"

"No."

"Okay, well do you stop believing in the sun when clouds block it out?" Nat asks, arching an eyebrow.

Rose smiles and says, "No,"

"We'll always be there, Rose. And now. . . we'll always be here." Nat points to Rose's heart and adds, "Which kind of makes you a Guardian too."

Rose smiles. Nat stands up and heads toward the sleigh. Rose's friends stand off to the side rubbing their eyes as they become drowsy. "Nat!" Rose calls out suddenly. Rose runs over and wraps her arms around Nat. Nat smiles and gives Rose a warm embrace.

Nat stands up and gets in the sleigh with the rest of the Guardians. North takes the reigns and cracks them before saying, "Hyah!" Nat and the Guardians look toward the kids as the sleigh takes off. Rose runs behind the sleigh, following Nat. In spite of it all, she doesn't want to let go. The sleigh takes off into the sky. Rose stops, unable to follow. The children stay for a minute longer before the sleigh has fully disappeared over the horizon.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Rejected Offer**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

A week later, Nat was peacefully sitting on a rock which rested a little ways off the shore of a beach. She had her feet dangling in the water with fish swimming around her toes. A turtle swam up to her and walked up the rock and into her lap. Nat smiled and petted the turtle on the head as dolphins jumped out of the water only a couple of feet away. Even a reef shark swam up to Nat and gently nudged her leg, showing affection. As the shark approached, Nat felt the fish begin to panic but she calmed them down. Sea and shore birds hovered in the air close by and some perched on nearby rocks. One even perched itself on Nat's shoulder. Nat smiled as she continued to stroke the turtle. Her life was officially perfect.

She was a Guardian, a useful one at that. She had come up with a plan to defeat Grim and it had actually worked. Because of her, Father Time was able to get his clocks back, thus making him able to unfreeze time. And most importantly in her book, Nat had been seen. And by seven children. Sure it wasn't as much as the other Guardians but she didn't care. Even if it had just been one person she wouldn't have cared. But seven? Seven in only a few days! She couldn't have been happier.

Nat shut her eyes, feeling the warm sun on her face. Her wonderful reverie was soon interrupted by the chirping of Baby Tooth. Nat turned to look at her and the mini fairy was flapping her wings around urgently, chirping really fast. But Nat understood what she was saying. Baby Tooth was telling her that she needed to get to Father Time's palace immediately. Nat gently set the turtle back in the water and let the bird fly away before going with Baby Tooth.

* * *

When she arrived at Father Time's Palace, Nat followed Baby Tooth who led her to a room where not only Father Time stood, but also Tooth, North, Bunny, and Sandy as well. "What's going on? Is it Grim? Is it the clocks?" Nat asked, both confused and worried.

Father Time smiled at that and replied, "The clocks are fine, thanks to you, and Grim won't be showing his ugly face around here again if he knows what's good for him."

"Then what's the big emergency Baby Tooth told me about?" Nat asked them.

Tooth giggled before saying, "Baby Tooth wasn't exaggerating when she said it was an emergency, you just misinterpreted what she meant. See, we're talking about a love emergency."

"Excuse me?" Nat asked, taken aback.

"Say the word, Nat, and I can bring the Jacy you left when you died to you right now." Father Time explains as Baby Tooth perches on top of his head.

"What?" Nat asked, stunned.

"I asked you if there was anything I could do for you for reuniting me with my precious clocks. I meant it when I said that but you just smiled and said all you wanted was for me to unfreeze time. Well, I was going to do that anyway and since you didn't give me a serious answer, I asked Tooth what you might like and she suggested that I bring back your Jacy. What do you say?" Father Time inquires, ready to pay off his debt.

"I. . . I don't know what to say. Up until I saw my memories. . . I mean I don't know if. . . well maybe if. . . I don't know." Nat couldn't find the right answer to Father Time's question. Sure, Jacy had been the love of her life in her past life but after she passed away, he eventually married, had five children, and a long, happy life. On one hand, she could leave him with the life he had. On the other, she could spend another couple years with him before he passed away from old age or something while she remained an eighteen year old forever. Besides, she loved him too much to take away the beautiful family and life he had before. If he were to come with her, Jacy wouldn't have any children. No one to continue his name. His entire family would be dead and he would be much older than any grandchildren his brothers might have given him. Nat knew what she had to do, the right thing to do. Looking up at Father Time, she cleared her throat before saying "Father Time, I cannot accept your offer."

Everyone's jaws hit the ground. Tooth flew over to where Nat was standing and asked, "Nat, do you remember how torn up you were when you saw yours and Jacy's memories? I do, and I have never witnessed a love for someone more powerful and passionate than what happened between you and him. He was your first and last love. This is your one chance to be with him and you're just going to walk away from it?"

Shaking her head, Nat explains, "Tooth, if I don't walk away, I'll have to live through his death. Think about it, I'm never going to die of old age. He would. I wouldn't get forever with him. Only a few decades and that's just a blink of the eye to us."

Biting her lip, Tooth looks to the other before suggesting, "Surely we could find a way to change that. Certainly, the Man in the Moon could do something." Tooth suggested.

"Even if he could, I would not want him to try." Nat cut her off quickly, rejecting every idea Tooth had to offer.

Taken aback, Tooth inquires, "Why not?"

"I couldn't take his life away. You didn't see his memories, no, you only saw mine so you didn't see how perfect his life was without me. He had a wife and five beautiful children and who knows how many grandchildren. He died with his family around him. You bring him here and what will he have? You bring him here and he'd be younger than any of the grandchildren of his brothers. I couldn't do that to him. No one asked me if I wanted this life, this life being stuck, unaging. Never moving forward. I couldn't even give him the children I know he would want. And I cannot give him the same life I have. I fervently believe that he deserves the life he had, not the life I could give him as Mother Nature."

There was a silent spell as Nat's moving speech brought a couple of tears to the eyes of Tooth, and to Nat's surprise, North, Bunny, Sandy, and Father Time. "Are you sure you don't want me to? Think about it. You've been alone for fifty years."

"I'm not alone and I never was. Just because I wasn't seen by any children doesn't mean I didn't enjoy spending every ounce of my energy trying to make them happy. And let's face it. Do you even know how many plants and animals there are on earth? About the same as there are stars in the sky. Taking care of all of them doesn't leave very much free time. I literally can go months without sleep and bless the Man in the Moon for the fact that I don't need to breathe or eat to survive. I don't want that life for Jacy because I couldn't provide Jacy a life with me. Now for the last time, Father Time, I don't accept your offer, though I do appreciate it."

With a heavy sigh, Father Time replies, "Very well, Nat. It's your decision."

Nat smiled and flew over to Father Time before kissing him on the cheek. Father Time blushed as Nat said, "I really do appreciate your offer but if I were to go through with it, I would be ruining his life. I couldn't do that and I hope you understand that."

"Of course, I respect your decision," he informed her.

Nat smiled at him again before saying "Well, I'm very glad about that. And when I said that all I wanted from you was to unfreeze time, I wasn't joking. That was all I needed from you."

"I'm glad I could at least do that for you," he said, cracking a grin.

Then there was another moment of silence before North said "You know, we just won major battle and Christmas was success. I think that calls for celebration, no?"

His offer entices the Guardians and suddenly they're all jumping in the sleigh, ready to party. Nat smiled as they all jumped into North's sleigh. She knew she had said Jacy couldn't have this life, but she could and was finally starting to enjoy it to the fullest. She had been alive for seventy some years but today was a new beginning of a new life with new friends and a future she couldn't have possibly imagined. Her smile widening, Nat leaned back in the sleigh, relaxed, and engaged in conversation with the other Guardians.

* * *

 **The End!**


End file.
